Parasite that causes ‘explosive diarrhea’ is spreading across the US

Key Points:

• A parasite called Cyclospora cayetanensis, causing symptoms like watery diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue, has infected 145 people across 17 U.S. states from May 1 to June 16, with New York having the highest number of cases.
• Twenty individuals have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, and none of the infected patients have recently traveled outside the U.S., suggesting the source is contaminated food within the country.
• The CDC is investigating multiple clusters of cases and working with state and local health authorities to identify the food source, though no specific food items have been confirmed yet.
• Cyclosporiasis symptoms typically start about a week after infection and can last from several days to over a month; while the infection can resolve without antibiotics, treatment may be necessary in some cases.
• The CDC notes that cyclosporiasis cases tend to rise during the summer months, with the official season running from May 1 to August 31, and currently, 45 additional cases linked to international travel have been reported separately.