New Cyclospora infections in Iowa, Nebraska and Texas have brought the total number ill to 206, according to the health departments in those states.
Iowa now has 102 cases, Nebraska 62 and Texas 42. While the illnesses in Iowa and Nebraska are known to be connected, investigators are still trying to determine if the illnesses in Texas are related or an isolated outbreak.
Officials suspect additional illnesses in Wisconsin and Illinois may be connected as well, though little information has been released about outbreaks in those two states.
Investigators in Iowa and Nebraska are still working to pinpoint the source of the outbreak, which they suspect to be a raw vegetable product.
“There are still several vegetables we’re investigating,” said Iowa state epidemiologist Patricia Quinlisk on Tuesday. “We’re looking for something that could have exposed people in a multitude of settings, so we’re doing a lot of food traceback. Whatever it was, it’s not still on the market in Iowa.”