The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said late Sunday that a sample of Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce initially believed to be tied to a multistate cyclospora outbreak was determined to be a false positive.
Federal officials made the discovery after re-reviewing the lettuce sample results from Taylor Farms as part of an ongoing investigation into cyclospora, a diarrhea-causing microscopic parasite that has sickened thousands of people across the United States.
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“Due to the complexity in detection of Cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive,” the FDA said in a statement. The agency determined that as of July 19, there have been no confirmed positive sample results detecting cyclospora in lettuce products.
On Sunday night, Taylor Farms said the FDA informed the company of the error and apologized.
“To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for cyclospora,” Taylor Farms said in part.
Despite the finding, Taylor Farms will continue its iceberg lettuce recall as it works with the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the outbreak investigation.
“Our thoughts remain with everyone who has fallen ill in this outbreak,” Taylor Farms said.
Cyclospora is known to infect food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. When ingested, the parasite causes intestinal illness marked by “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.
As of now, nearly 7,000 cases of cyclosporiasis have been confirmed or are under investigation in the U.S. since May 1, according to the CDC. Cases have been reported in at least 34 states, with some of the largest clusters being reported in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.