It’s parasite-caused explosive diarrhea season in Texas, and Nueces County is currently the only county in the state with more than 10 confirmed cases.
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness that can infect people after they consume food or water containing the cyclospora parasite due to contamination from feces. The illness is not usually life-threatening but can cause watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The illness can last days to months.
People who live or travel to tropical or subtropical regions are at a higher risk for infection. Additionally, past outbreaks of the illness have been connected to fresh produce.
The Texas Department of State Health Services does not release data for counties that have fewer than 10 cases. In 2026, 15 Texas counties had reported at least one confirmed case of the illness as of July 3.
Nueces County is the only Texas county with more than 10 cases so far this year, with 14, according to an email from a department spokesperson.
In this image taken of a stool sample from a person with cyclosporiasis, a parasitic gastrointestinal illness that causes watery, sometimes explosive diarrhea, four microscopic oocysts of cyclospora cayetanensis can be seen.
Cyclospora season occurs annually from May 1 to Aug. 31.
“It is not unusual to see cases at this time of the year,” department spokesperson Douglas Loveday said in an email.
Between 2018 and 2022, the average number of cases in Texas has been 579 per year, with more than 1,000 cases in 2019.
Between May 1, 2026, and June 16, 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports of 145 cases of cyclosporiasis acquired in the U.S. across 17 states. There were 20 hospitalizations during that period.
According to a July 1 CDC update on surveillance of the illness, there is currently no evidence of a single, multistate outbreak linking all cases.
These individuals did not report any travel in the period before they got sick.
Symptoms typically begin two to 14 days after ingesting contaminated food or water, according to a Texas health advisory.
Between 11 and 30 cases were reported in Texas, according to the CDC report.
Additionally, 45 cases were reported by individuals who consumed food or water while traveling outside the U.S. as of June 16.
The state health department recommends vigorous hand washing with soap and water before and after handling produce and thoroughly washing all fresh produce, cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops, though washing may not eliminate all risks of transmission.
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces County has most parasitic diarrhea cases reported in Texas