{"id":4060,"date":"2026-07-06T21:06:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4060"},"modified":"2026-07-06T21:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:06:34","slug":"cases-of-cyclosporiasis-explosive-illness-from-parasite-are-rising-in-nc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4060","title":{"rendered":"Cases of cyclosporiasis, \u2018explosive\u2019 illness from parasite, are rising in NC"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

At least 110 cases of an illness causing \u201cexplosive bowel movements\u201d have been reported in North Carolina since May 1.<\/p>\n

Read more Raleigh\u2019s water restrictions have not done enough. What the city could do next.<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly 150 people have contracted cyclosporiasis, an illness caused by the parasite cyclospora, in the United States since May 1, according to the CDC.<\/a> Other cases have been contracted outside the United States.<\/p>\n

North Carolina is not reporting any outbreaks and has not identified a common source linking the cases as of Monday, July 6, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.<\/a><\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis \u201cusually causes watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.\u201d according to the CDC.<\/p>\n

According to the CDC<\/a>, symptoms include:<\/b><\/p>\n

Less common symptoms may include:<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile many other foodborne illnesses are associated with meat and animal products and can be prevented by proper cooking and pasteurization, cyclospora is often associated with fresh herbs and produce that are served uncooked and so prevention is much more challenging,\u201d NCDHHS Press Assistant Sean Doyle told The Charlotte Observer via email. \u201cIf present, Cyclospora can survive the trip from the field, where produce is grown, to the plate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duke Medicine Professor Cameron Wolfe<\/a> said that for many people, cyclosporiasis won\u2019t be severe enough to bring them into a doctor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people, in fact, probably have it mild enough that they never actually even present to their physician to get seen or tested, so chances are the actual number of cases is noticeably higher than that, and we sort of scratch the surface each year with the number of tests that we run,\u201d Wolfe said.<\/p>\n

Older people and immunocompromised people at high risk from illnesses that present with intestinal distress could be hit hard by cyclosporiasis, but the range of symptoms varies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think for the general community this is not a big issue, it should be a healthy reminder to think about the way that GI parasites can be transmitted,\u201d Wolfe said. \u201cIt\u2019s spread by contaminated food and water, so it\u2019s a good call out to wash your fruit and vegetables and salads, like we should probably be doing anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Marcellus Wiley Ordered to Stay Away From Annemarie Wiley Amid Battery Arrest<\/a><\/p>\n

For some people, the illness passes in days and for others, weeks. Wolfe said some people have recurrent symptoms, after the body tries and fails to fully fight off the illness.<\/p>\n

Wolfe said cyclosporiasis often lasts longer than food poisoning, which can cause similar symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cSalmonella or undercooked chicken or eggs, or these sorts of things, they\u2019re usually one to three days and wash out of your system, literally,\u201d Wolfe said. \u201cWhereas I think cyclospora has the potential, in many cases, especially the at-risk people, for lasting much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cyclosporiasis can be treated with a combination antibiotic, Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole<\/a>. Most people recover without treatment.<\/p>\n

Wolfe said that without an identified cause, it is best to focus on food safety overall.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200b\u201dPeople often take a few days between when you\u2019ve consumed the contaminated food and when they actually get sick, so it\u2019s really hard to actually remember (what they ate),\u201d Wolfe said. \u201cTo pin down what might have been the contributing thing is actually really tricky.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FDA recommends<\/a> taking these steps to properly clean produce:<\/b><\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n

This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 4:38 PM<\/span> with the headline “Cases of cyclosporiasis, \u2018explosive\u2019 illness from parasite, are rising in NC.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Former G.R.L. Member Lauren Bennett Dead at 37: ‘Our Hearts Are Broken’<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The CDC reports 145 cyclospora cases since May. Symptoms include watery diarrhea and cramping; wash produce and follow FDA guidelines to reduce risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nCases of cyclosporiasis, \u2018explosive\u2019 illness from parasite, are rising in NC - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4060\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cases of cyclosporiasis, \u2018explosive\u2019 illness from parasite, are rising in NC - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The CDC reports 145 cyclospora cases since May. 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