From the Guidelines
Cyclosporiasis is a diarrheal disease caused by the protozoan parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis.
Characteristics of Cyclosporiasis
The characteristics of cyclosporiasis include:
- Watery diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Abdominal bloating and cramping
- Increased flatus
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Low-grade fever 1
Additional Characteristics
Other characteristics of cyclosporiasis may include:
- Vomiting 1
- Relapses 1
- Asymptomatic infections 1
- Striking fatigue in up to 92% of cases 1
- Weight loss in 91% of cases 1 It is essential to note that cyclosporiasis can be severe, chronic, or relapsing in immunocompromised individuals, particularly those with impaired cell-mediated immunity 1.
From the Research
Characteristics of Cyclosporiasis
- Cyclosporiasis is caused by the coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis and is associated with large and complex food-borne outbreaks worldwide 2
- Associated symptoms include severe watery diarrhea, particularly in infants, and immune dysfunction 2
- In immunocompetent patients, it is mainly manifested by self-limited diarrhea, which is persistent and may be fatal in immunocompromised patients 3
- Clinical symptoms of cyclosporiasis include diarrhea, asthenia, anorexia, borborygmi, flatulence, and abdominal distension, as well as fever, heart burn, weight loss, abdominal pain, rectal tenesmus, nausea, vomiting, and eructation 4
- The incubation period of cyclosporiasis is typically 6 days 4
Diagnosis and Treatment
- Clinical diagnosis is based on cardinal clinical symptoms and conventional laboratory methods, which usually involve microscopic examination of wet smears, staining tests, fluorescence microscopy, serological testing, or DNA testing for oocysts in the stool 2
- Treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) can evidently cure C. cayetanensis infection, but alternative treatments such as ciprofloxacin and nitazoxanide are available for patients with sulfonamide intolerance or resistance 2, 3, 5
- Novel treatments such as silver nanoparticles and nitazoxanide-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers have shown promising results in experimental studies 3, 5
Epidemiology
- Cyclosporiasis is a global public health concern, with increasing occurrence in both food growing and importing countries due to the globalization of human food supply 2
- The disease is more frequent in tropical and subtropical areas, and has been mainly described as a cause of travelers' diarrhea 4
- Cyclosporiasis outbreaks have been attributed to ingestion of imported foods, particularly from tropical areas, as well as contaminated water and soil 2, 4