A parasite that causes extreme diarrhea, seen in recent outbreaks across the country, has been documented in over 25 counties in Florida -- and cases nearly doubled in one week, according to state data.
The Florida Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report showed 50 cases of cyclosporiasis had been reported between May 1 and July 4.
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By July 11, just one week later, that total exploded to 96 cases.
That includes 12 cases in Northeast Florida counties:
- Duval: 4
- St. Johns: 3
- Alachua: 2
- Flagler: 2
- Columbia: 1
But experts say there could be even more cases than what has been reported.
“This infectious disease may be hard to monitor due to the nature of the signs and symptoms,” said Dr. Norman Beatty, an associate professor of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at UF Health Shands. “It’s common to get a diarrheal illness at times, and other infectious diseases can resolve on their own, but cyclosporiasis is important to identify right now because there are multiple outbreaks across the country.”
There could be as much as a six-week reporting lag between illness onset and reporting, according to the CDC.
Since May 1, the federal agency has received reports of 1,645 confirmed domestic cases of cyclosporiasis but is aware of more than 5,100 cases that require further analysis, the CDC stated Tuesday.
In Florida since May 1, DOH data shows Miami-Dade County has seen the most cyclosporiasis cases with 17, followed by Lee County with 14 and Broward with seven.
Other counties outside Northeast Florida with cases include: Brevard, Collier, Escambia, Gadsden, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Martin, Monroe, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter and Volusia.
In Alachua County, Beatty said he has seen several cases at UF Health Shands, which doctors believe stemmed from eating produce.
Previous outbreaks in the U.S. have been linked to raw produce, like lettuce and raspberries.
According to DOH data, Alachua County has seen two cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1. But the department’s data is several days out of date, according to DOH’s website.
The last day cases were uploaded to the report was July 11.
Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the parasite cyclospora, which causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite, according to the CDC.
Once a case is confirmed through testing, a report is sent to the state department of health. But if someone doesn’t seek medical attention, the case could go unreported, Beatty said.
In most scenarios, people who get cyclosporiasis will recover on their own. But in some cases, people can have persistent symptoms and relapsing infections over time, so any suspected cases should be tested, Beatty said.
Direct human-to-human transmission is rare, he said, but if infected, people could shed the parasite into the environment, where it could become infectious again within a week or two, contributing to another outbreak.
“It’s a very hardy parasite,” he said.
The outbreak was first reported in Michigan on July 1, with other outbreaks later reported in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the CDC.
While 34 states, including Florida, have reported cases, the source of the outbreak is still unknown.