A fast-moving outbreak of cyclosporiasis has now sickened nearly 700 people across Michigan, according to state health officials, marking a dramatic escalation from roughly 170 confirmed infections just days earlier. The surge in cyclosporiasis diagnoses has alarmed public health authorities, who say the sheer number of patients is complicating efforts to pinpoint the source of the outbreak.
Cyclosporiasis is caused by a microscopic parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, that triggers an intestinal illness typically spread through food or water contaminated with fecal matter. State officials say their leading theory is that this round of cyclosporiasis cases stems from tainted fresh produce, though investigators have not yet identified a specific product, brand or supplier responsible.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said the scale of the cyclosporiasis outbreak is itself a challenge. With hundreds of residents needing individual interviews about what they ate and where, tracing a common thread has become far more difficult than in a smaller cluster of illness. She described the case count as a moving target likely to keep climbing, since symptoms of cyclosporiasis can take anywhere from a few days up to two weeks to appear after exposure.
Southeast Michigan has been hit hardest by the cyclosporiasis outbreak, with health officials pointing to Monroe County as a particular hotspot. Wayne, Washtenaw, Lenawee, Oakland, Livingston, Jackson and Shiawassee counties have also reported clusters of cases. Wayne County, home to Detroit, has recorded a substantial share of the state’s confirmed infections.
For residents like Haley Hompstead, a Monroe County college student, the outbreak has meant days of severe abdominal pain, watery and explosive diarrhea, and rapid, unwanted weight loss. She said her symptoms began suddenly, waking her early one morning with pain unlike anything she had experienced before, and that even bland foods have since become difficult to tolerate. She said she is hoping to get access to the antibiotic used to treat cyclosporiasis so she can return to her normal routine.
Health officials note that not everyone infected with cyclosporiasis develops symptoms, but those who do often report cramping, bloating, low-grade fever, nausea and vomiting in addition to persistent diarrhea. Unlike a typical stomach bug, which usually resolves within a day or two, cyclosporiasis symptoms can linger for days or even weeks without treatment, according to Bagdasarian. She is urging anyone with prolonged digestive symptoms to see a doctor, mention the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak by name, and specifically request stool testing, since routine tests do not always screen for the parasite.
The standard treatment for cyclosporiasis is a 10-day course of the oral antibiotic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, sold under brand names including Bactrim and Septra. Officials stress that the illness is very unlikely to spread directly from person to person, since the parasite needs one to two weeks outside the body before it becomes infectious again.
Michigan is not the only state grappling with rising cyclosporiasis numbers. Ohio has confirmed more than 170 cases so far this year across dozens of counties, with most reported since late June. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked additional cases across more than a dozen states since the spring, though health officials say they have not yet linked the various clusters to one another or to a single nationwide source.
In the meantime, Michigan health officials are advising residents to take extra precautions with fresh produce: removing and discarding outer leaves of leafy greens, thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables under running water, and cooking food when possible, since heat above roughly 158 degrees Fahrenheit kills the parasite. The state health department says it plans to send updated clinical guidance to health care providers as the cyclosporiasis case count continues to climb, while investigators keep working to identify the contaminated product behind the outbreak.
