More than 170 people in Michigan have been sickened by a gastrointestinal parasite called cyclosporiasis.
Though the cause of the outbreak is not yet known, cyclosporiasis is typically spread when people consume fresh produce — like berries, leafy greens, and herbs — contaminated with feces containing the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis.
Dr. Teena Chopra, a professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, said careful washing is key.
“What I would advise to the community is, please wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water, scrub them, and then consume them,” Dr. Chopra said. “If you have cut vegetables, don’t leave it outside — try to refrigerate it. Practicing good hand hygiene before preparing food is also very important.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services identified the first case in the state on June 22, and infections have now been documented in 17 counties. The following are the infection numbers by county as of June 30.
- Monroe: 70
- Lenawee: 33
- Washtenaw: 21
- Wayne: 12
- Jackson: 7
- Shiawassee: 7
- 24 cases in 11 other counties and the City of Detroit.
Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the chief medical executive for the state of Michigan, said MDHHS hopes to pinpoint the source of the outbreak soon. She said local health departments are doing the “boots-on-the-ground” work — interviewing people infected with cyclosporiasis about what they’ve eaten recently, then entering that information into a statewide database to look for patterns.
“These are the types of activities that public health is always doing quietly behind the scenes that when things are working, nobody really hears about,” Dr. Bagdasarian said. “Our job is to prevent things like this from becoming an issue, and when they do become an issue, to very quickly investigate.”
Symptoms typically occur two to 14 days after exposure and often include watery diarrhea, explosive bowel movements, abdominal cramps and bloating, and loss of appetite.
Dr. Chopra said people often feel better for a while even if the infection is still active. She encourages all those who suspect they have contracted the parasite to get tested.
“This particular parasite, if it is not treated, can continue to infect new intestinal cells, and that's why there can be ongoing relapsing diarrhea, so it's important to seek treatment.”
She said untreated cyclosporiasis can cause damage to the small intestine, but that — for most people — it can be easily treated with antibiotics.
Many of the illness' symptoms can cause weakness and dehydration. Dr. Bagdasarian said high temperatures across the state could worsen that dehydration and create potentially dangerous situations.
