Close-up Hand picks a white toilet paper that hangs on the wall in the bathroom.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a multistate outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic intestinal illness that can cause severe, sometimes explosive, diarrhea.
By the numbers:
As of June 16, the CDC has identified 145 domestically acquired cases across 17 states. Investigators said those infected became ill after eating food in the United States and reported no international travel during the 14 days before their symptoms began.
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Dig deeper:
Patients ranged in age from 5 to 86, with a median age of 42. About 61% of those infected were female. Illnesses began between May 1 and June 6, with a median onset date of May 13. Twenty of the 145 patients were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The CDC also reported 45 travel-related cases among people who became ill after eating or drinking contaminated food or water while outside the United States. Those patients ranged in age from 17 to 89, with a median age of 43, and 62% were female. Symptoms began between May 1 and June 7, with a median onset date of May 19. Three patients were hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
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Why you should care:
Cyclosporiasis is caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, which infects the small intestine. People become infected by consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite. While the illness is typically not life-threatening, it can cause prolonged gastrointestinal symptoms.
Common symptoms include watery diarrhea with frequent, and sometimes explosive, bowel movements. Some people may not develop symptoms. Without treatment, the illness can last from several days to more than a month, and symptoms may disappear and then return.
What you can do:
The parasite spreads through food or water contaminated with human feces. Because Cyclospora requires one to two weeks outside the body to become infectious, direct person-to-person transmission is considered unlikely.
Health officials recommend reducing the risk of infection by avoiding food or water that may be contaminated with feces and following proper food safety practices, including safe food preparation and storage. The CDC's investigation into the source of the outbreak remains ongoing.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which released updated outbreak data on June 16, 2026, as part of its ongoing investigation into a multistate cyclosporiasis outbreak. This story was reported from Los Angeles.