Taylor Farms lettuce sample was false positive for cyclospora, FDA says
The FDA said that as of Sunday, it had not found any "confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora."
A sample of lettuce from Taylor Farms that had tested positive for cyclospora was a false positive, the Food and Drug Administration said Sunday.
"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.
Taylor Farms on Friday said it was "voluntarily removing" iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after the lettuce had been linked to one of the largest outbreaks of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. in recent years.
"While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely," the company said Friday in a statement .
Taylor Farms said Sunday in a statement after the false positive was announced that, "Our thoughts remain with everyone who has fallen ill in this outbreak. We are committed to working with public health authorities as the ongoing outbreak investigation continues."