Michigan parasitic diarrhea cases swell to 681: How to prevent it

Michigan’s cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded to 681 diagnosed cases across 21 counties and Detroit, with Monroe reporting 92. State health and agricultural leaders said investigators have not yet identified a common source, though they continue interviewing people who became ill. A spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Laina Stebbins, said that as of the evening of July 6 no specific grower, supplier, or type of produce had been linked to the outbreak. The parasite Cyclospora cayatenensis is microscopic and is common in tropical and subtropical regions; it generally spreads through contaminated food or beverages rather than person-to-person transmission. Michigan’s first reported case was June 22, and the U.S. CDC is investigating multiple national clusters, noting that as of July 1 there was no evidence of a single multistate outbreak connecting all cases. Public health officials are reviewing nearly 600 food histories to find shared factors.