Salad pegged as source of Neb. cyclospora outbreak

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska health officials say a prepackaged salad mix is the source of a cyclospora outbreak that has sickened 78 people in the state since mid-June.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced its findings on Tuesday. Outbreaks of the same illness have been reported elsewhere in the U.S., but it's not clear if prepackaged salad mix is also linked to those.

Cyclospora is a rare parasite that causes a lengthy gastrointestinal illness.

Nebraska officials say the salad mix came through national distribution channels. It included iceberg and romaine lettuce, along with red cabbage and carrots.

Local health departments are working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to identify exactly where the contamination originated in the food production chain and where the product was distributed.