Want to worry about something OTHER than the pandemic? Well, you’re in luck! Let’s worry about Cyclospora!

It is a parasite that is increasingly prevalent in Travis County. Over 80 cases have been reported and my Physician’s Assistant just got a positive result back on one of our patients so add one more to the count. Cyclospora is a parasite that is found in fresh produce. In the past, it’s been linked to bagged salad kits. This outbreak has not been linked to that but we do not know where exactly it is coming from. The symptoms are indistinguishable from any other viral or bacterial gastroenteritis or “stomach bug”. Diarrhea, cramping, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. To diagnose it you have to test for it specifically. It will not show up on a routine bacterial culture as it is a parasite. One stool specimen for ova and parasites may not be sufficient, you need three negative to definitively exclude it. Treatment is actually easy enough, trimethoprim/sulfa (i.e.. Bactrim) for 7-10 days should do the trick.