Texas Health Officials Probe Spike In Cyclospora Illnesses

HOUSTON, TX -- Officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services are more than 50 cases of illness that are related to the Cyclospora parasite.

Since May, 56 cases of the illness have been reported, and state health officials are working with local health departments in Texas and other states that have also seen an outbreak, and are hoping to determine if there is a common source for the infections.

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Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the microscopic Cyclospora parasite.

Symptoms associated with Cyclospora include:

• Watery diarrhea lasting a few days to a few months
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Abdominal cramps
• Bloating and increased gas
• Nausea and vomiting
• Low fever

Symptoms may come and go multiple times over a period of weeks or months.

People with symptoms that could be related to Cyclospora should contact their health care provider for treatment.

A recent health advisory indicated that there has been a steady rise in Cyclospora in Texas since 2013, and advised health care providers to test patients who have diarrhea lasting more than a few days or diarrhea accompanied by severe loss of appetite or fatigue for Cyclospora.

According to a KPRC report, there have been six cases reported in Harris County this year, with three reported in MOntgomery County, and one each in Fort Bend, Grimes, Galveston, Brazoria, and Waller Counties.

Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, had the most cases with 11 this year.

Health care providers should promptly report cases so that public health can investigate them and attempt to determine the source in order to head off future cases.

Past outbreaks in the U.S. have been associated with consumption of imported fresh produce, including fresh pre-packaged salad mix, raspberries, basil, snow peas, and mesclun greens. Texas has had multiple outbreaks linked to cilantro.

DSHS recommends thoroughly washing all fresh produce, but that may not entirely eliminate the risk because Cyclospora can be very difficult to wash off.

Cooking will kill the parasite. Infection is generally not transmitted directly from person-to-person. There were 319 cases of cyclosporiasis in Texas reported in 2017.

Image: Shutterstock

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