05/13/25 Public Health Education Topic: Cyclosporiasis

Per CDC:

Key points

• Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite.

• A parasite is an organism (a living thing) that lives on or inside another organism.

• People can prevent Cyclospora infection by avoiding food or water that may contain feces (poop), especially in tropical or subtropical areas.

Signs and symptoms

People who are infected with Cyclospora may or may not experience symptoms. Cyclospora infects the small intestine (bowel) and usually causes watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.

• If not treated, the illness may last from a few days to over a month. Symptoms may seem to go away and then return one or more times (relapse).

How it spreads

Cyclospora spreads when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces (stool).

It takes at least 1 – 2 weeks in the environment (outside the body) for Cyclospora to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement. Therefore, direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely.

Prevention

People can take the following steps to prevent Cyclospora infection:

• Avoid consuming food or water that may be contaminated with feces.

• Follow food safety handling recommendations for safe preparation and storage.

To learn more visit: About Cyclosporiasis | Cyclosporiasis | CDC