Cases have been reported in 28 counties across the state. Cyclospora parasitic disease The cause of more than 200 confirmed cases in the state so far this year remains unknown, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Wake County leads the way in cases with 125 since Jan. 1, followed by New Hanover County with 17, Brunswick-Mecklenburg County with 14 and Guilford County with 13.
“Local health department officials are interviewing all of these cases to try to understand the feeding history and what could have been the source of infection,” said Dr. Carl Williams, public health veterinarian with NCDHHS.
In his role with the state government, Williams works with the infectious disease division and provides medical consultations, with foodborne illnesses being one of his areas of focus.
Williams said there are at least 206 cases across multiple counties and that the causes “may come from multiple sources or from one widespread source.”
Further analysis of stool samples from patients may reveal more details, he said.
“If it’s a widespread, single point source, you’re more likely to find highly related specimens in patients. If it’s multiple introductions, Cyclospora “If you look at multiple sources, you’re going to find different genetic sequences,” Williams said.
The drawback, Williams said, is that such diagnostic testing is not currently required in North Carolina, and most samples aren’t stored in labs long enough to be considered for testing.
The state is also trying to trace the source of outbreaks using tools such as grocery store membership cards and credit card receipts.
Cases of cyclosporiasis in North Carolina must be reported by a physician within 24 hours of a positive test, the Wake County Health Department explained. The department added that the state requires all reportable disease investigations to be completed within 30 days of the date of the initial report.
Ben Chapman, a food safety expert at North Carolina State University, said the tricky thing about Cyclospora is how long it takes for someone to get sick after consuming infected produce.
“Investigating a disease outbreak like Cyclospora is very similar to investigating any other foodborne pathogen. What you’re really looking for is, what are the common elements in these people? Did they eat the same food? Did they eat the same dish? Did they eat at the same restaurant?” Chapman said.
He continued, “What’s different about pathogens like Salmonella or Listeria is that Cyclospora can infect anyone. It’s not something that we would say, ‘This is more likely to infect young people, older people, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems.’ That’s really what we’re looking at with Listeria.”
It can take days or weeks for Cyclospora to cause illness, whereas symptoms of bacteria like Salmonella usually appear within 72 hours.
Anyone who believes they have a cyclosporiasis infection should seek medical help through their doctor and request a stool sample to be tested for the parasite.
