Inside the cyclosporiasis outbreak: an exam room playbook for primary care

A cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to contaminated iceberg lettuce has sickened 1,947 people across nine states, and Michigan has recorded more cases than anywhere else in the country.

It gets worse: From May 1 to July 27, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control received 6,707 reports of laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis. There are more than 11,500 additional cases that are not lab confirmed or require additional investigation. Many of those are in Michigan and Ohio, though the microscopic parasite Cyclospora does not regard state lines.

Molly O'Shea, M.D., is a primary care pediatrician who has run an independent Michigan practice for more than 30 years and who has treated patients throughout the current surge. In this conversation, O'Shea walks through how cyclosporiasis presents in the exam room, why routine stool tests often miss it, and why antibiotic treatment is preferable to waiting weeks for the infection to resolve on its own. She also addresses a common misconception about tracing exposure, and shares practical guidance physicians can pass along to worried patients.

Related coverage: Cyclosporiasis outbreak: 13 things primary care physicians need to know right now