A mysterious foodborne parasite outbreak has affected at least 145 people across 17 US states, while a separate surge in southeastern Michigan has sickened more than 150 people, health officials said. Investigators from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believe contaminated food consumed within the country could be behind the infections, but the exact source has not yet been identified.
The illness is linked to Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite that causes cyclosporiasis, a stomach infection that can lead to prolonged diarrhoea and other digestive problems.
