{"id":249067,"date":"2026-07-29T07:25:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:25:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=249067"},"modified":"2026-07-28T11:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T15:01:33","slug":"ask-uconn-extension-what-to-know-about-cyclospora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/07\/ask-uconn-extension-what-to-know-about-cyclospora\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask UConn Extension: What to Know About Cyclospora"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The United States is experiencing a substantial seasonal increase in cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by the parasite <em>Cyclospora cayetanensis<\/em>. Since May 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports of 1,645 laboratory-confirmed, domestically acquired cases from 34 states. In Connecticut, the Department of Public Health confirmed 56 cases as of July 20, including four hospitalizations. Connecticut officials have not identified a Connecticut-specific food, farm, grower, supplier, restaurant, or retailer as the source.<\/p>\n<p>As summer produce remains a staple at backyard gatherings, farmers markets, and family meals, consumers may be wondering what <em>Cyclospora<\/em> is, how people become infected, and what they can do to protect themselves. UConn Extension has answers.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What Is <em>Cyclospora<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><em>Cyclospora cayetanensis<\/em> is a microscopic, single-celled parasite that infects the human small intestine. The illness caused by the parasite is called cyclosporiasis. People become infected when they consume food or water contaminated with the infectious form of the parasite. <em>Cyclospora<\/em> contamination is generally associated with human fecal contamination of food, water, equipment, hands, or the growing and handling environment.<\/p>\n<p><em>Cyclospora<\/em> is different from bacteria such as <em>Salmonella<\/em> or <em>E. coli<\/em>. It does not multiply in food, and routine chemical sanitizers used on food may not reliably destroy it.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What Are the Symptoms?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The most common symptom is frequent, watery diarrhea. Other symptoms may include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Loss of appetite<\/li>\n<li>Unintentional weight loss<\/li>\n<li>Stomach cramps or abdominal pain<\/li>\n<li>Bloating and increased gas<\/li>\n<li>Nausea<\/li>\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n<li>Low-grade fever<\/li>\n<li>Muscle aches or general flu-like symptoms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Symptoms usually begin approximately one week after exposure, although onset may range from about two days to two weeks or longer. Without treatment, symptoms can last from several days to a month or longer and may recur one or more times.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone experiencing persistent or severe diarrhea, signs of dehydration, substantial fatigue, or recurring symptoms should contact a healthcare provider. Healthcare providers may need to specifically request testing for <em>Cyclospora<\/em> because routine stool testing may not automatically include or reliably detect it.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why Is Fresh Produce Frequently Involved?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><em>Cyclospora<\/em> outbreaks have often been associated with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are eaten raw or receive limited cooking. Foods associated with previous U.S. outbreaks have included bagged salad mixes, leafy greens, cilantro, basil, green onions, raspberries, snow peas, and other fresh produce products.<\/p>\n<p>However, the presence of a food on that list does not mean it is responsible for the current increase in illnesses. Investigators have not yet confirmed a specific food source for the principal multistate outbreak, and Connecticut officials have not identified a Connecticut-specific source.<\/p>\n<p>For that reason, UConn Extension emphasizes that consumers should not stop eating fresh produce.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Fruits and vegetables provide important nutritional and health benefits and should remain part of a balanced diet,&#8221; the publication notes. Consumers should continue to follow public health advisories and recalls from CDC, FDA, Connecticut DPH, and other responsible public health agencies.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What Can Consumers Do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While no single step can completely eliminate risk, UConn Extension recommends several food safety practices that can help reduce exposure.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Wash Produce Carefully<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling fresh produce. Rinse fruits and vegetables thoroughly under clean, running water before eating, cutting, peeling, or cooking. Wash produce even when packaging states that it is pre-washed or ready to eat.<\/p>\n<p>Consumers should not wash produce with soap, dish detergent, bleach, household disinfectants, or non-food-grade chemicals. These substances can leave harmful residues and are not approved for direct use on food.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Prevent Cross-Contamination<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Keep washed produce away from raw meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dirty utensils, and unwashed produce. Clean countertops, cutting boards, knives, and other food-contact surfaces before and after preparation.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Cook When Practical<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>FDA advises that heating produce to at least 158\u00b0F (70\u00b0C) is the safest option for destroying <em>Cyclospora<\/em> when cooking is practical. Cooking is more dependable than washing or routine chemical sanitizing for inactivating the parasite.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Stay Informed<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Consumers should monitor CDC, FDA, and Connecticut DPH advisories and follow any recall notices if a specific product, brand, lot, or source is identified.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Reminder, Not a Reason for Alarm<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The current increase in cases is significant, but no Connecticut-specific product or source has been identified. UConn Extension encourages consumers to continue enjoying fruits and vegetables while following basic food safety practices, including handwashing, thorough rinsing of produce, preventing cross-contamination, and staying informed about outbreak investigations and recalls.<\/p>\n<p><em>Visit the UConn Extension publications page for <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.uconn.edu\/publication\/cyclospora-cyclosporiasis\/\"><em>the full fact sheet<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>UConn Extension connects the public with the research and resources of Connecticut\u2019s land-grant university, UConn. UConn Extension is comprised of faculty in the\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/cahnr.uconn.edu\/\"><em>College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cases of the foodborne illness caused by the parasite have been in the news. UConn Extension experts share practical steps to reduce risk and stay healthy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":249068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2224,1715,2304,2231,2235,2225,2227],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2140],"class_list":["post-249067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cahnr","category-community-impact","category-extension","category-health-well-being","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-storrs","category-uconn-edu-homepage"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-05 12:07:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249067"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249082,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249067\/revisions\/249082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/249068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249067"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=249067"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=249067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}