A state is now reporting 700+ cases of ‘explosive’ diarrhea linked to parasite. Here’s what we know

LANSING, Mich. (News 10/Gray News) - A parasitic infection called cyclosporiasis has sickened nearly 700 people across Michigan, state health officials said, with the case count quadrupling from roughly 170 in less than a week.

State health officials said the outbreak is growing rapidly and they are working to bring it under control. The leading theory is that the infection is linked to contaminated fresh produce, though a specific source has not been identified.

Haley Hompstead, a Monroe County resident — an area identified as a hotspot for the infection — said her symptoms began July 3.

“The morning of the third, I got woken up at about seven in the morning with the most, like, excruciating abdominal pain I’ve ever had,” Hompstead said.

Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson, Oakland, and Livingston counties are also being impacted by the outbreak.

She said she has lost roughly 10 pounds in just days since symptoms began.

“I’m scared to eat, because the minute that anything hits your stomach, it doesn’t matter if it’s plain rice or a good, hearty meal, you are in so much pain,” Hompstead said.

She said when she got to the emergency room, someone she sat near also had the infection and was there for the same reason.

Other symptoms include frequent, watery and explosive diarrhea. Symptoms can appear up to two weeks after exposure.

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, said the volume of cases is making it harder to trace the source of the outbreak.

“So, we have 700 people who need to be interviewed, which makes things significantly more complicated. But I can tell you that our main hypothesis right now is contaminated produce,” Bagdasarian said.

Dr. Bagdasarian said as the investigation continues, officials are looking for a particular type of produce or a particular brand, but she said the food distribution network in the country can make the health department’s job harder.

“There is food that is grown in one state, that is packaged and processed in another state, and then sent out to a variety of states,” she said.

Hompstead said she is hoping to access the antibiotic used to treat the infection because right now it is “hard to function.”

“I am a low-income person. I am a college student; you can’t just stop your life. But I am exhausted, and I’m weak,” Hompstead said.

She does cook a lot of the vegetables she eats. She pointed to a bagged broccoli and coleslaw mix and fresh strawberries as the only two raw foods she ate.

“I’m really good at cleaning my produce; I just don’t think I did it well enough.”

Dr. Bagdasarian said residents should take extra precautions when handling fresh produce. Officials recommend removing the outer layers of lettuce and washing it before eating. For food that can be cooked, the state recommends doing so, noting that heating food to 158 degrees Fahrenheit or higher kills the infection.

The state health department said it plans to send guidelines to licensed health care providers as cases continue to rise.