1 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh, there's Chuck. 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: Jerry's here sitting in for day. So this is the 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: short Stuff. Let's go. 4 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 2: That's right. Today, we're talking about the recent cyclo sporiasis 5 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 2: outbreak that everyone heard about, notably with like tainted lettuce 6 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 2: usually is what you're hearing on the news, and Taco 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 2: Bell was in the news because it turns out that 8 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 2: the supplier that they used was seems to have been 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 2: ground zero for this outbreak. But we're gonna explain what 10 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 2: cyclospora is all about. 11 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's this outbreak as of August thirteenth, which was 12 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: the latest data we could find. It's August twentieth, now, 13 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: so this is old. Okay, it's twenty eight fifty six 14 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: people have been sickened with I'm gonna I'm going with cyclosporiasis. 15 00:00:55,040 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: It sounded like you gave the British pronunciation boreassis. Yes, yeah, 16 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: it suddenly sounded like you had tea in your hand. Yeah. 17 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: So twenty eight thousand plus people have been sicken, two 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 1: people have died, and just a month before it was 19 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: at nine four hundred and eighty one cases. And you're like, wow, 20 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: that's a lot of people, and it is. This is 21 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: actually the third biggest food born outbreak in US history. 22 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:25,199 Speaker 1: From what anyone could tell, it's the biggest cyclospora outbreak 23 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:31,680 Speaker 1: in human history. And even with those eye popping stats 24 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: associated with it, that twenty eight thousand case number is 25 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: probably just a fraction of the actual number of cases 26 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: of people who have gotten sickened by with cyclosporiasis. 27 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure, I think there were only thirty eight 28 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 2: states reporting the you know, as far as reporting goes, 29 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 2: it's like people who went to the hospital and a 30 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 2: lot of people just like wrote it out, I'm sure. 31 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 2: And then even at the hospital you have to have 32 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 2: a special test to see if it's actually that, and 33 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 2: not all the hospitals probably did that test, so they 34 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 2: probably just treated people for dehydration and diarrhea. So it's 35 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 2: a much bigger number than that. And let's talk about 36 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:14,880 Speaker 2: what this thing is. Because it is a not a plant, 37 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 2: it's not a fungus or an animal. It's not a 38 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 2: bacteria or a virus. It is a protozoan and it's 39 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,959 Speaker 2: a parasite and the human is the host. 40 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it's not brand new. But the reason we 41 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: can pretty confidently say that in all of human history, 42 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: this is the biggest outbreak of cyclosporiasis. Is because the 43 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: first case that anyone's ever documented was in like nineteen 44 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: seventy eight in Papua New Guinea, and it's even newer 45 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:44,920 Speaker 1: here in the United States. The first outbreak was in 46 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety five. 47 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 2: Right, yeah, in Chicago, only twenty three cases. Then there 48 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 2: was one in Florida the next year, about forty five cases. 49 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 2: Those were raspberries from Guatemala. And every summer basically there's 50 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 2: a little something, but nothing like we saw this year. 51 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 2: They you know, this stuff can live. This protozoan can 52 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 2: live in rivers. It lives in water drinking water, rivers, lakes, 53 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 2: swimming pools, and it likes to hide in like berries 54 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 2: and leafy vegetables because there's lots of little crevices and 55 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,919 Speaker 2: nooks and crannies where it won't get washed out even 56 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 2: if you're like rinsing your stuff. Also on knives and utensils, 57 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 2: and also from unwashed hands. 58 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: Gross very like just let's be clear. It passes through 59 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: human sewage. That's its mode of transportation, right, So that 60 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: means that somebody had human poop on their knife or 61 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: their hands, if that's where you got it. 62 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, so we should talk about the life cycle because 63 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 2: it begins when it enters your mouth. It is in 64 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 2: what's earliest stage. It's an infectious o cyst. Did you 65 00:03:58,120 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 2: know how that's what was pronounced. 66 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: That's the British way pronouncing it. I'm going with ossist. 67 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 2: It is osis to actually look that up. And it 68 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 2: is an egg that basically protects it from the outside 69 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 2: world until it gets into the human system where it 70 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 2: latches onto your gut and starts a fourteen stage life cycle, 71 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 2: which takes two days to two weeks to incubate before 72 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:26,479 Speaker 2: it becomes an infection. 73 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, and the reason it takes so long is because 74 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: that HSIs. Is that what you said? 75 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, with emphasis on the first ooh ooh or osis 76 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:37,159 Speaker 2: sorry o sist. 77 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, like ooh ooh sis. It's very tough. It's like 78 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: a tough container like you said, that protects the actual 79 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: infectious part and it has to break down, and it's 80 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: evolved to break down in the human gut thanks to 81 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: your digestive juices and your bile and the temperature of 82 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: your body inside your gut, all those things come together 83 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: and break the oos this down, and now all of 84 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: a sudden, four sausage shaped spoiulets get dumped out into 85 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,240 Speaker 1: your gut and start going to work and essentially making 86 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: it really hard for your gut to absorb water. And 87 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: because your body's trying to poop this stuff out, you 88 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: have water butt like you have never had it before. 89 00:05:22,640 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 2: That's right. And every time you do poop, you pass 90 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 2: along up to ten thousand osis per cubic centimeter of feces. 91 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: That's a lot ooey gooey. Theces it says, should we 92 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: take a break? 93 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, we'll be right back. Sweat shot shot stop, 94 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 2: all right, so we're back. You said, the main symptom 95 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 2: is really really bad diarrhea, which obviously was going to 96 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 2: lead to bad dehydration, like dangerous dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, 97 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 2: potential kidney damage, risk, maybe hospitalization. As we've seen up 98 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,119 Speaker 2: to ten percent body weight weight loss. 99 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: That's nuts. 100 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:34,720 Speaker 2: That's a lot, you know, depending on who you are. 101 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 2: But that's a lot no matter what, because it's ten 102 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 2: percent of whoever you are, you know. 103 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, what's interesting is there's not an inflammation or fever 104 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: that's usually associated with a stomach bug. It's just a 105 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 1: lot of pooping and the risk of really bad dehydration 106 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: and then all the stuff that comes with that, right. 107 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 2: That's right. 108 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 1: So once you poop that stuff out, it makes it 109 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: back into the water supply, it gets back into your 110 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: food stuff we'll talk about in a second, and then 111 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 1: the cycle begins again. And that's probably what happened. The 112 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: water supply was used on food crops where really, if 113 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: you step back and think about it for even a second, 114 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: it shouldn't be. But let's talk about Chuck. Why this 115 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: US outbreak in twenty twenty six is the biggest one, 116 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: the biggest cyclist bariasis outbreak in human history. 117 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, one is a climate change, you know, with 118 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 2: rising temperatures across the globe. These you know, I don't 119 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 2: think we mentioned that this thing used to be found 120 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 2: only in the tropics, right, but now these pathogens can 121 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 2: be found elsewhere because of rising temps. The second one, 122 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 2: and you know, we're not getting political, but this is 123 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 2: just a stone cold fact. This presidential administration is cut 124 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 2: funding for food safety programs, including two key ones that 125 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,200 Speaker 2: might have stopped this the Food Emergency Response Network. They 126 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 2: grant states funding to test for food pathogens like this, 127 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 2: and food Net which track outbreak causing pathogens, and food 128 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 2: Nets specifically literally, because of a lack of funding, stopped 129 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 2: tracking six of the eight pathogens that it used to 130 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 2: always track, and cyclospora is one of those. 131 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: Yep. 132 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 2: So you know, that's just the deal. 133 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: Plus the federal agencies that are responsible for basically taking 134 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: the lead and guiding healthcare providers and public health officials 135 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,640 Speaker 1: and all that stuff throughout the country just sat on 136 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: their hands for months. As a matter of fact, it 137 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: was about two full months before the CDC stepped forward 138 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: with guidelines and essentially basically really started talking about this publicly. 139 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: In the meantime, this outbreak was bad enough that somebody 140 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 1: had to do something. So Michigan ended up stepping forward 141 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: and filling the role that the CDC was just dropping 142 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,960 Speaker 1: the ball on. They ended up issuing guidelines and stuff 143 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: that obviously weren't you know, regulations or anything, but that 144 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 1: other healthcare providers in other states were like, Okay, good, 145 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: now I know what to do thanks to the state 146 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 1: of Michigan, not the federal government, which is supposed to do. 147 00:09:12,160 --> 00:09:14,000 Speaker 1: And if you put all that together, you're like, wow, 148 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: this happened really fast, and to me, it gives a 149 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: picture of like the United States built a really impressive 150 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: food born illness surveillance network that was fragile apparently, but 151 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: that really worked because if you just pull that stuff 152 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: away and then this is the stuff that happens. I 153 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 1: think there's twenty food born outbreaks right now going on 154 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: in the United States. It's in a way, it's really 155 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: impressive how effective it was before. 156 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure, And boy, hats off to you Michiganers 157 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:51,880 Speaker 2: for taking the lead on that. One of the other 158 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 2: big reasons is big agriculture. When it's you know, something 159 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 2: like that has been consolidated so much an industry has 160 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:04,199 Speaker 2: that means that you know, Americans are getting their crops 161 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 2: from just you know, the same places basically, So if 162 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 2: something like this happens, like happened at Taylor Farms, this 163 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 2: was Tailor Farms to Mexico, which was the agricultural site, 164 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 2: even though it's a California based company, all of a sudden, 165 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:22,000 Speaker 2: this stuff's going out all over the country. There's also 166 00:10:22,679 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 2: Tailor Farms is also being identified as a source of 167 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 2: the other outbreaks, a couple of them, the salmonilla outbreak, 168 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 2: at least from Jalapenos. I think. Yeah. 169 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, And for those who don't speak Spanish, Taylor farms 170 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: to Mexico means tailor farms of Mexico. So and it's 171 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: not just Mexico or Guatemala where you're going to find 172 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,400 Speaker 1: tainted produce. Something I was kind of alluding to earlier 173 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:53,000 Speaker 1: is that the cyclospora find its way finds its way 174 00:10:53,040 --> 00:10:57,800 Speaker 1: to your food crops through human sewage. And that can 175 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 1: actually happen in the United States because there are, let 176 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,080 Speaker 1: me find it, more than half. I think twenty seven 177 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: states allow for treated sewage water to be used to 178 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 1: irrigate food crops. 179 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 2: I did not know that, I did neither. Nine states 180 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 2: don't have any policy, four have guidelines, and fourteen states 181 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,440 Speaker 2: allow it for crops but not food crops. Yeah, and 182 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 2: you know, yeah, that's where it's coming from. 183 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: Yes, so they and we did say treated sewage waste, yeah, 184 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: of course, right, So it's not like they're just spraying 185 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: like feces all over your lettuce, but essentially on a 186 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,560 Speaker 1: microscopic level, they often are because a lot of sewage 187 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: treatment plants aren't set up to handle cyclospora. Because again, 188 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: this is not your average bacteria or virus. This is 189 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: its own thing. So thecites cysts can make it through 190 00:11:56,840 --> 00:12:02,439 Speaker 1: onto your your lettuce or whatever. And then also sometimes 191 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 1: those bacteria and the viruses that the sewage treatment plant 192 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 1: is set up to take care of make it through anyway. 193 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:12,720 Speaker 1: So this is what I was saying. It seems pretty 194 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:17,680 Speaker 1: smart to just stop using treated sewage on food crops. 195 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, and maybe fund the agencies that are responsible for 196 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 2: keeping track of the stuff, would be AWES. Sure. 197 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, So if you feel at all like you should 198 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,280 Speaker 1: go to the hospital, if you have cyclo spiasis right now, 199 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: or if you have really bad water, but for any reason, 200 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: just go, like, don't risk it. Whatever. But if you 201 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: don't want to get cyclosporiasis, there are some steps you 202 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: can take. One of them is, at the very least 203 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: wash off all of your stuff, because that can help. 204 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 1: But cyclosporiasis can still hide, right Chuck. 205 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we talked in Act one about the 206 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 2: little nooks and crannies, and it's hard to get through. 207 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,200 Speaker 2: Sometimes the only thing to kill it is to cook 208 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 2: it to one hundred and sixty degrees fahrenheit. But you're 209 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 2: not cooking your let us for your taco. 210 00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:06,640 Speaker 1: No, that's great. That's like the Mom and Better Off 211 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: Dead who boiled the bacon. 212 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was a really silly part of that movie, 213 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,679 Speaker 2: that whole mom's scene. Yeah. Stuff that's you know, like 214 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,439 Speaker 2: stuff that has a nice wrapper around it, like a 215 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 2: banana and avocado. You're doing okay, and you know, do 216 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 2: plenty of handwashing obviously as well. 217 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:25,319 Speaker 1: For sure. And if you are on the vergeer, I've 218 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:28,160 Speaker 1: already started an email telling us how you used to 219 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 1: like us before we became political. Just stop, don't bother short. 220 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: Stuff's out. 221 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 2: Stuff you should know is a production of iHeartRadio. For 222 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 2: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 223 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.