It is a bad time to lose your lunch. Summer demands grilled burgers, sunscreen, and clear skies. It does not demand a month-long war with your bowels. Yet, that is exactly what hundreds in Michigan are living through. And it’s spreading.
The culprit? Cyclosporisosis. A parasitic infection. The name is mouthful, the reality is messy. Watery, explosive diarrhea. For up to thirty days.
The Spread Is Wide
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Service is tracking 572 cases. That number is climbing. The CDC has flagged an outbreak spanning seventeen states. New York, Texas, Florida, Alaska… the map looks bad. Are your beach plans safe? Who knows.
The source remains a ghost. No specific farm. No named supplier. No identified ingredient.
“This is not a deadly infectious disease,” says Amesh A. Adalya, an expert at Johns Hopkins. “But can be very disruptive.”
He means it.
Why Now?
Cyclospora cayetanensis. That’s the bug. It attacks the small intestine. It likes spring. It thrives in summer. From May through August, the government watches closely because this is its season.
Symptoms hit hard. Diarrhea that comes in waves. Sometimes you feel better. Then you don’t. It can last weeks. Untreated? You suffer longer.
Dr. William Schaffner at Vanderbilt notes the traditional route: food or water. But right now, nobody knows.
Dr. Adalya explains the likely mechanics. Poor sanitation where produce grows. Irrigation with contaminated water. Human feces mixing into the supply chain. Then, it ships to us.
Michigan has water issues, yes. Schaffner isn’t sure if local taps are the problem. Officials are looking. Usually, in the U.S., it’s the salad. Not the sink.
Age doesn’t matter. If the cilantro is tainted, anyone who eats it catches it. Kids. Grandma. Everyone.
The Fix? Wash Everything
Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxyazole is the antibiotic. It goes by names like Bactrim or Septra. Take that. Rest. Hydrate. That’s the medical prescription.
The preventive advice? Be paranoid.
“Washing does reduce the risk,” Dr. Adalya insists. “That’s what people should be doing.”
It won’t kill every parasite. It helps. The Michigan health department has stepped in with stricter orders for Southeast Michigan kitchens.
- Stop selling pre-bagged salad.
- Wash greens more than you ever have.
- Cook things.
Lettuce? Leafy greens? Basil? Green onions? Snow peas? Cook them. If previous outbreaks taught us anything, those are the carriers. Bagged salad mixes have a history of trouble. Fresh cilantro too.
If the diarrhea stops… wait… and then starts again? Call your doctor. Don’t assume it’s just a stomach ache. Get tested.
The source is still out there. Hiding in some un-washed leaf somewhere. So, maybe skip the raw greens this week. Just until the mystery clears. It probably won’t be quick. 🥗
