{"id":332638,"date":"2026-07-08T03:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T03:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/332638\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T03:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T03:02:14","slug":"parasite-cases-reported-in-lee-hillsborough-counties-as-cyclosporiasis-spreads-across-17-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/332638\/","title":{"rendered":"Parasite cases reported in Lee, Hillsborough counties as cyclosporiasis spreads across 17 states"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"text | article-text\">SARASOTA, Fla. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mysuncoast.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.mysuncoast.com\/\">WWSB<\/a>) &#8211; A handful of cyclosporiasis cases have been confirmed in Lee and Hillsborough counties as the parasitic illness spreads across at least 17 states, according to Dr. Ron Andari, a gastroenterologist with Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. No cases have been reported in Manatee or Sarasota counties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Andari said the illness is transmitted through uncooked foods \u2014 specifically raw vegetables, green leafy vegetables, garnishing herbs, and berries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Nationally, at least one state has reported more than 700 cases of gastrointestinal illness linked to the parasite \u2014 a count that quadrupled from roughly 170 in less than a week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said several hundred cases have been reported since May 1, but the actual number is likely higher. At least 20 people have been hospitalized. Health officials said there is currently no evidence of a single outbreak linking all the cases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mysuncoast.com\/2026\/07\/07\/state-is-now-reporting-700-cases-explosive-diarrhea-linked-parasite-heres-what-we-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.mysuncoast.com\/2026\/07\/07\/state-is-now-reporting-700-cases-explosive-diarrhea-linked-parasite-heres-what-we-know\/\">A state is now reporting 700+ cases of \u2018explosive\u2019 diarrhea linked to parasite. Here\u2019s what we know<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Cyclosporiasis is caused by a single-cell parasite that infects fresh produce through contaminated water. The parasite multiplies when water is sprayed on plants in humid farm conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">\u201cThis is a parasitic infection. It\u2019s a food-borne illness,\u201d Andari said. \u201cIt\u2019s transmitted by uncooked foods, specifically raw vegetables and fruits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Andari said the primary symptom is diarrhea, which he described as explosive, along with loose stools, increased volume, abdominal cramps, and nausea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">He said patients experiencing severe or persistent diarrhea should contact their primary care physician or gastroenterologist. Anyone with concerns about dehydration should go to the emergency room.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">\u201cIf it\u2019s a lot of diarrhea, they absolutely need to go to the ER, if there\u2019s any concerns for dehydration,\u201d Andari said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Andari said the illness is 100% treatable and may require antibiotics, making prompt diagnosis important. Stool testing is typically used to confirm the infection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">He said prevention starts with thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables with an extensive amount of water, washing hands, and cleaning cutting boards and food preparation surfaces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">\u201cEarly diagnosis so we can prevent problems in the future\u201d is paramount, Andari said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">For more information, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cyclosporiasis\/php\/surveillance\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/cyclosporiasis\/php\/surveillance\/index.html\">CDC website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 WWSB. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) &#8211; A handful of cyclosporiasis cases have been confirmed in Lee and Hillsborough counties as&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[137275,137273,137276,137272,137274,135,137,136],"class_list":["post-332638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-contaminated-produce-michigan","tag-cyclospora-cayetanensis-michigan","tag-cyclosporiasis-symptoms-treatment","tag-michigan-cyclosporiasis-outbreak","tag-michigan-parasite-illness-2026","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}