Arkansas health officials said Thursday that they are investigating a case of stomach illness possibly linked to a national outbreak reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC has reported an outbreak of cyclosporiasis in 11 states, including Texas and Kansas. There have been 285 cases reported since June 28 with at least 18 people hospitalized. The intestinal illness is caused by a microscopic parasite, cyclospora, that has been connected to fresh produce in the past.
It is still unknown if the Arkansas case is a part of the national outbreak, said Dirk Haselow, Arkansas epidemiologist and medical director for Communicable Disease and Immunization for the Arkansas Department of Health.
“We are in the process of interviewing that individual,” Haselow said. “It does fit the case definition that the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention is considering in terms of the wider outbreak.”
Cyclosporiasis is uncommon in the United States, Haselow said. He said in the past three years there have been two cases reported in Arkansas.
“It is usually associated with contaminated fruits or vegetables,” Haselow said. He said symptoms include diarrhea, loss of appetite, cramps and at times throwing up or weight loss.
Individuals with severe diarrhea lasting more than a couple days should seek care from their doctors, Haselow said. He said doctors may be able to determine the cause of the illness through tests.
CDC spokesman Jamila Jones said there has been a steady increase of reporting on cyclosporiasis since June.
“So far what we have seen is that the people became ill in June or early July,” Jones said. “It is looking like back-reporting but we are not at the point of saying that it is over.”
Past cases of cyclosporiasis have been linked to fresh and imported produce, Jones said. She said the CDC has not been able to locate a food source for this outbreak.
“Right now we are just analyzing data and running lab tests,” Jones said. “We are in the middle of a typical investigation.”
Iowa and Texas have reported the largest amount of cases with 138 in Iowa and 66 in Texas. Other cases have been reported in Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, Connecticut and New Jersey.
It is still unknown if all of the cases are a part of the same outbreak, the CDC has reported. The CDC also is still investigating cases that have not been added to the total.
Jones said washing all produce is the best way to avoid the illness.
Haselow said Arkansas officials plan to stay connected with organizations researching the outbreak.
“We will be participating in conference calls with national partners to make sure that we are in the loop on where this investigation is going,” Haselow said.
If the Arkansas case seems to be connected to the national outbreak, state officials will notify physicians, Haselow said.
“We are very interested in this report and depending on what we learn from the interview with the patient we may try to issue some guidance to providers,” Haselow said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working with the CDC in investigating the outbreak, said Theresa Eisenman, FDA office of Media Affairs.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 07/26/2013