You wash your vegetables — but is that enough to kill Cyclospora?

4 min readNew DelhiJul 26, 2026 01:59 PM IST The United States is witnessing an unusual surge in cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. More than 4,000 cases and 80 hospitalisations have been reported across over 30 states, with health officials linking a multistate outbreak to contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce served at restaurants. The outbreak has raised questions about the safety of raw produce and whether simply washing fruits and vegetables is enough to protect against infection.According to Dr Bhushan Bhole, Senior Consultant, GI Surgery and Liver Transplantation, PSRI Hospital, good food hygiene is essential, but it has its limitations. DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or