Berries From Guatemala Tied to Intestinal Ills

Contaminated raspberries from Guatemala appear to have caused intestinal illnesses that sickened hundreds of people in the United States and Canada this spring, federal health officials said Thursday.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 850 people became ill because of cyclospora infection in 20 states, the District of Columbia and the Canada.

When federal investigators methodically traced 21 cases or clusters of cases back to their source, they identified raspberries grown in some regions of Guatemala as the probable cause. The fruits were contaminated with cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that infects the small intestine and usually causes diarrhea.

Bob Howard, spokesman for the CDC’s National Center for Infectious Diseases, said epidemiological evidence was preliminary and the investigation was continuing.

Health officials say they do not know how or when the raspberries became contaminated.