Parasite cyclospora infection cases likely to increase through August, CDC says

Public health officials on Tuesday said they expected cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic cyclospora infection that causes severe diarrhea in its victims, to increase through August, and for the first time said that cases in some states could be linked.

In a briefing, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said they had identified 1,645 cases in 34 states, with another 5,100 pending cases that require further analysis before they can be confirmed. There have been 141 hospitalizations but no deaths.

More than 400 cases — in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky — appear to have a “common source,” said Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, in a briefing with reporters. In those cases, people reported symptoms on or after June 22, though officials have not yet identified a specific food item as the source of the outbreaks.

Nassau County’s health department has reported 17 cases of the infection this year, up from 10 in 2025. while Suffolk reported 49, versus 50 for all 2025. As of July 10, there were 403 reported cases in New York City, according to the city’s health department, versus 414 for all of 2025 and 338 in 2024. Statewide, more than 517 cases have been reported.

On Monday, state health officials in Michigan, an early hot spot for cases, said preliminary investigation suggested lettuce or salad greens were a potential source for the outbreaks, though other food items had not been ruled out and no specific type of produce, grower or supplier had been identified as the source. Federal officials at the briefing said they were aware of the preliminary finding and were continuing tracing work.

New York health officials said there is currently "no evidence of a single, multistate cyclospora outbreak linking all cases."

In July 2025, federal health officials curtailed FoodNet, a program that tracked food poisoning infections in the United States for three decades, cutting required reporting by participating states on cyclospora and five other pathogens and keeping two. 

In an email, Frank Yiannas, a food safety expert and former FDA official, wrote that "history will show that the narrowing of required, aggressive, and frequency of reporting to just two pathogens was a mistake. The current Cyclospora season may already be illustrating why. Scaling back more comprehensive, frequent national reporting likely contributed to a slower, more fragmented understanding of the scope and evolution of this year’s illnesses."

The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment about possible impacts of the change, but Biggerstaff told reporters in the briefing that FoodNet was intended to “look at trends over time” and doesn’t give officials the same kind of information they get from other disease surveillance systems. The CDC says on its website that scaling back allowed FoodNet staff to “prioritize core activities.”

A spokesperson for Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Ryan DeFelippis, said the FoodNet change had no impact on the department’s response to the recent outbreaks.

Cyclosporiasis is generally transmitted when people consume food or water contaminated with human feces, not through person-to-person contact. Cases tend to be seasonal, rising yearly from May through August.

CAN TRIM FROM HERE DOWN FOR PRINT/RTMarissa Crary, a spokesperson for New York State’s health department, wrote in an email that the department was investigating cases of the infection with federal and local health departments. Local health departments generally investigate cases of communicable disease by conducting phone interviews with people who have a positive laboratory result, she wrote.

New Yorkers should wash all fresh produce, including herbs, fruits and vegetables, under running water before cutting, cooking and eating, she wrote. When possible, they should cook food to 158 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, experts said..

Watery diarrhea is the most common symptom of a cyclospora infection. It may last a few days to a month or longer. The recommended treatment usually involves an antibiotic.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.