Nueces County has reported 20 cases this year, nearly four times as many as last year, though health officials say there is no known outbreak.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Cyclospora cases continue to rise across the country, and the Coastal Bend is seeing the increase as well. Nueces County has reported 20 cases so far this year, nearly four times the number reported during the same period in 2025.
RELATED: Nueces County leads Texas in confirmed Cyclospora cases
Although the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District said the increase is not an outbreak, local physicians are encouraging residents to practice safe food-handling and to recognize the symptoms of the intestinal parasite.
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During an interview on 3NEWS First Edition, Dr. Eric Baggerman said the county’s higher case count is notable but not entirely unexpected.
“It’s not surprising that a place becomes one of the sites that has a higher number of cases, and it turns out it’s our county,” Baggerman said.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects the intestines after someone consumes contaminated food or water. Baggerman said infections are most commonly linked to fresh produce that is difficult to clean thoroughly, including leafy greens, cilantro and berries.
“It’s a parasite that irritates the lining of the intestines, causes lots of malabsorption and diarrhea,” he said. “We get it typically from the things that are harder to clean.”
Unlike a typical stomach virus, Cyclospora does not simply pass through the body in a few days. Baggerman said the parasite can persist in the intestines if left untreated.
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“It sets up shop for a bit,” he said. Symptoms usually develop anywhere from two days to two weeks after exposure and often include watery diarrhea, nausea, bloating, stomach cramps and fatigue. Fever is less common.
“It’s usually the intestinal manifestations, the bloating, the nausea and the explosive watery diarrhea,” Baggerman said. Because a parasite rather than a virus causes the illness, antibiotics are typically needed to clear the infection.
“The treatment is an antibiotic,” Baggerman said. “Bactrim is the one most commonly used for this illness.” Without treatment, symptoms can last for several weeks.
Health officials have not identified a single food source responsible for this year’s increase, despite cases being reported in more than 30 states. Baggerman said that makes basic food safety practices even more important.
“We know where it is and how we get it, but there’s no smoking gun that says it came from one shipment of produce,” he said.
To lower the risk of infection, Baggerman recommends thoroughly washing fresh fruits and vegetables, washing hands before preparing or eating food and cooking produce when possible.
“Making sure we’re washing produce, especially leafy vegetables and fruits, washing our hands and cooking food when we can are the best preventive measures,” he said.
While the increase in cases has drawn attention locally, Baggerman emphasized there is no reason for alarm.
“We’re not trying to scare anybody,” he said. “The focus should be on prevention.”