Federal health officials have launched a multi-state investigation after a parasitic outbreak reportedly left dozens of Americans suffering considerable gastrointestinal symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed it is working to find the source of a parasitic illness that’s spreading across the country.
As per The Hill, at least 145 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported across 17 states. 20 people have been hospitalized due to the severity of their symptoms, with public health teams investigating groups of cases reported in New York, Illinois, and Texas.
According to reports, New York has seen the most cases, with 31 to 80 people have fallen ill since the beginning of the outbreak.
As per WPIX, other states linked to the outbreak include Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The CDC say that cyclosporiasis, not usually life-threatening, is a type of food poisoning caused by a parasite. Victims often contract it by consuming contaminated food or water.
The most commonly reported symptom is “watery diarrhea with frequent, sometimes explosive, bowel movements.”
If not treated with antibiotics, the condition can last anywhere from a few days to over a month. Symptoms can also go away and return multiple times.
At the time of writing, the cause of the 2026 outbreak remains a mystery, though historical CDC data shows that domestic summer cyclospora spikes are almost always tied to fresh produce, either imported or domestically grown.
Unlike bacterial pathogens like E. coli or Salmonella, able to easily multiply in animal hosts and spread via livestock run-off, cyclospora is unique because humans are its only known host.
Health departments are urging anyone experiencing prolonged, severe stomach issues to explicitly request a specialized cyclospora PCR test from their doctor as the organism is difficult to detect via standard tests.
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