The cyclospora outbreak of 2023 has ended, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with 2,272 people sick and 186 patients hospitalized. No specific cause of these illnesses was identified.
These numbers are current as of October 24, 2023. The cases are all lab confirmed. And the patients did not travel outside of the United States during the 14 days before they got sick. Cyclospora is a parasite that is endemic in tropical regions of the globe. It used to be that only travelers to those areas contracted this infection, but in the last ten years it has been making people sick in the United States.
These case counts are estimated and don’t match what is listed in the Nationally Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System tables because some were reported directly to the cyclospora surveillance program at the CDC. The true number of ill persons is probably higher, since some people do not see a doctor and are not diagnosed.
The case count estimate by state is: Alabama (31-100), Arkansas (11-30), Arizona (31-100), Colorado (101-200), Connecticut (11-30), Florida (101-200), Georgia (31-100), Iowa (11-30), Georgia (31-100), Iowa (11-30) Illinois (101-200), Indiana (11-30), Kansas (11-30), Kentucky (31-100), Louisiana (31-100), Massachusetts (31-100), Maryland (11-30), Maine (1-10), Michigan (11-30), Minnesota (31-100), Missouri (11-30), Montana (1-10), North Carolina (31-100), Nebraska (1-10), New Hampshire (1-10), New Jersey (31-100), New York (201-360), Ohio (31-100), Oklahoma (31-100), Oregon (1-10), Pennsylvania (11-30), Rhode Island (1-10), South Carolina (11-30), South Dakota (1-10), Tennessee (31-100), Texas (201-360), Utah (11-30), Virginia (101-200), Wisconsin (31-100), West Virginia (1-10), and Wyoming (11-30).
The patient age range is from 2 to 96 years. The median illness onset date was June 24, 2023, with a range from April 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023. Local, state and federal public health authorities investigated multiple potential clusters of cases during the year. The total case count for this cyclospora outbreak included the clusters that the FDA investigated.
In the past, cyclospora outbreaks have been linked to raspberries, mesclun lettuce, vegetable trays, bagged salad, basil, and cilantro. But any fruit or vegetable can be contaminated. This parasite is not easily removed from produce, especially leafy greens with their deep crenelations. And the oocyst can survive freezing temperatures.
Symptoms of cyclosporiasis, the illness caused buy this parasite, includes loss of appetite, cramps, and diarrhea that can be explosive and unpredictable. These symptoms may disappear and reoccur without warning. There is a treatment for this infection, but anyone who is allergic to sulfa-based drugs can’t take it.
