It all started with two confirmed cases of cyclospora in Bienville and Terrebonne parishes, Louisiana. Now, the intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis appeared to affect more people across the country.

This rapid spread of the intestinal illness caught national attention. The government through the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) is investigating if the increasing number of cases indicated an outbreak. As of Wednesday, the CDC reported 397 cases in 16 states. Twenty-two people were admitted to hospitals after getting the illness.

The CDC estimated that "48 million Americans suffer from domestically acquired foodborne illness associated with 31 identified pathogens and a broad category of unspecified agents," according to RL Scharff on an article published in Journal of Food Protection (January 2012). The study reported estimated average cost for each foodborne illness case ranged from US$1,068 to US$1,626. This resulted to an estimated aggregated annual cost from US$51 billion to US$77.7 billion.