While we’ve been keeping a close eye on the Cyclospora outbreak in the state of Texas this year, not much was known about the parasitic disease in other areas of the US in 2015…until now.

Cyclospora oocysts
Oocysts of C. cayetanensis viewed under differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy.
Image/CDC DPDx

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their outbreak investigations page to include information about cyclosporiasis in 2015, and this is what we know:

As of July 30, 2015, CDC had been notified of 358 ill persons with confirmed Cyclospora infection from 26 states in 2015, with nearly six out of 10 cases being reported since May without a history of international travel.

In addition to Texas, federal health officials say clusters of illness linked to restaurants or events have been in Wisconsin, and Georgia also. Investigations are ongoing for the various clusters.

During the 2014 Cyclospora outbreak, 304 cases were reported from 19 states and New York City, while in 2013, a total of 631 persons infected with Cyclospora cayetanensis were reported from 25 states and New York City.

In both 2013 and 2014, as in 2015,  some illnesses among Texas residents were linked to fresh cilantro from Puebla, Mexico.