Parasitic stomach illness spreads in Louisiana
2026-07-10
Explosive diarrhea rarely makes it into official briefings, yet it defines the quiet spike now under review in Louisiana. At the center is cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal infection caused by the protozoan parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which spreads through contaminated food and water rather than person-to-person contact.
What sounds like a routine stomach bug instead behaves like a stubborn intestinal siege, with health officials confirming 23 cases and warning of watery diarrhea that can persist for weeks. The parasite targets the small intestine, where it disrupts absorption and triggers prolonged secretory diarrhea, often accompanied by cramping, nausea, fatigue, and weight loss that can exhaust otherwise healthy adults.
Most unsettling to epidemiologists is the familiar suspect: fresh produce. Cyclospora oocysts can cling to uncooked fruits and vegetables, surviving standard rinsing, which pushes investigators toward traceback analysis of supply chains and possible multistate links. Public health guidance now stresses meticulous washing of produce, attention to imported items, and prompt stool testing with ova-and-parasite exams or multiplex PCR panels for anyone with persistent watery diarrhea.
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