Experts struggle to contain spread of ‘explosive diarrhea’ parasite as cases rise

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The tally of infections tied to an explosive diarrhea-causing parasite that’s spreading across the U.S. just jumped again.

Michigan remains the hardest-hit state, reporting 1,251 cases and 44 hospitalizations on Thursday. That total is up from just 700 earlier this week. There are also nearly 400 cases in New York, according to New York City’s local station WNBC. Both Ohio and North Carolina also reported around 200 cases in each state.

However, the total figure of people across the U.S. who are ill is likely significantly higher from states not reporting their data or people who didn’t seek out treatment.

Infections can lead to flu-like illness, as well as uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms that send some patients to the hospital.

But while cases have continued to climb, investigators are still working to find out what potential sources of exposure to the cyclospora parasite are and federal health officials say there’s no evidence for one common reason linking the infections.

Cases of cyclosporiasis are exploding around the U.S. Experts don’t yet know why there are so many people falling ill (Getty Images)

Federal data is lagging behind state data and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The New York Times it expects more reports coming soon.

Right now, the agency has only gotten reports of 531 cases – which is still four times as many cases as were reported this time last year.

There have been outbreaks before, and the last time case numbers were this high was 2019, when 2,400 people fell ill after eating Mexican basil. Before that, more than 1,460 cases were reported by 20 states after people were sickened by contaminated raspberries in 1996.

There are multiple species of cyclospora, but the CDC says it appears most infections are caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis.

Most cases occur after people eat or drink contaminated food or water and past outbreaks have been tied to produce, such as cilantro and leafy greens.

A chart shows how exposure to contaminated foods with cyclospora leads to illness. Oocysts are the infectious stage of certain protozoan parasites (CDC)

Symptoms typically appear a week after consuming the contaminated food or water, but can take as little as two days or up to two weeks to appear, according to New York health officials.

Some people may not experience any symptoms, complicating tracking efforts.

Doctors recommend that people who have cyclosporiasis get treated with antibiotics. It’s not typically life-threatening.

The best way to reduce exposure is to avoid any potentially-contaminated sources, as well as to cook and thoroughly clean food.

“This parasite can live on the surfaces of particularly raw fruits and vegetables. And so even when we buy it from the grocery stores, it is still good practice to wash thoroughly,” Dr. Maryrose Laguio-Vila, an infectious disease physician at Rochester General Hospital, told New York’s Spectrum News 1.

Heating food to 158 degrees Fahrenheit kills the microscopic parasite.