The Cyclospora Parasite Infection Turns Deadly

The “explosive diarrhea” outbreak – caused by a quickly spreading cyclospora parasite infection – has dominated the headlines over the last few weeks. However, up until this week, the cyclospora outbreak had simply been a concerning nuisance. That has changed now, with two Americans dead as a result of the parasite. This disturbing development is raising questions about where we stand with this outbreak and what will happen next. According to media reports:

Two people in Michigan have died in connection with the outbreak of cyclosporiasis, health officials reported Monday.

These are the first known deaths related to the multistate outbreak of explosive diarrhea in the United States.

“Two deaths have been identified as part of the cyclosporiasis outbreak affecting Michigan. According to medical records, both individuals had significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration. No additional information will be provided on these two cases,” according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

While the outbreak has spread all across the country, there are hot spots where infections are skyrocketing. Indeed, more than 11,000 individuals in Michigan alone have been infected with the “explosive diarrhea”.

And Michigan isn’t the only hot spot. While Michigan has been the hardest hit, individuals in more than 40 states have been infected and numbers have been on the rise dramatically in states like Illinois and North Carolina (both of which are reporting close to 1,000 cases in each state).

Tracing and tracking the spread of the parasitic infection continues to be complicated, making the extent of this outbreak hard to actually quantify:

For cyclospora, he said there is a big variation in how long it takes for people to show symptoms after being exposed. Generally, Syers said it could be anywhere from two days to a couple of weeks.

There are also challenges in tracking the parasite, Chaves said. U.S. detection systems for more common microbes like E. coli or Listeria are quick, reliable and cost effective, he said. But for cyclospora, which is only seen occasionally in the U.S., he said the detection is slower and many testing labs can’t test for it.

Traceability is also hard because lettuce in a bagged salad from the grocery store can come from multiple farms and be mixed up in a processing facility, he said. There’s also lots of people who will contract the parasite but have no symptoms, and the outbreak is widespread.

The frustration among the American public and among medical experts in palpable.

Writing in his Substack, Dr. McCullough notes:

The CDC has 12,000 employees and a $9 billion budget. The USDA and FDA are supposed to inspect imported produce. None of them caught this before people got sick. None of them got ahead of it after people got sick either.

McCullough’s phrase — “paralysis by analysis” — captures the core problem. These agencies excel at holding meetings and issuing press releases days after the damage is done. What they don’t do is protect Americans in real time.

When McCullough is asked to tackle the question of whether or not Americans should stop eating lettuce – or other potentially infected produce – he responds with, “no, but you should stop trusting the system to protect you.”

Dr. McCullough does offer up some specifics on what people can do to stay healthy:

• Wash produce thoroughly — but understand that with leafy greens that absorb water, washing has limits.
• Have treatment on hand. McCullough emphasized that the combination of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim/Septra) shuts this down in about a week instead of a month of misery. Without it, you’re at the mercy of an overburdened healthcare system that’s perpetually behind the curve.
• Optimize your immune system. A robust immune system can handle a low-dose exposure that floors someone with a junk-food diet. McCullough recommended immune-support supplements (he mentioned The Wellness Company’s Natural Immunity capsules) and daily nasal/throat spray (Immune Defense) containing xylitol and erythritol to prevent pathogens from colonizing.

Dr. McCullough makes the critical point that this isn’t really about lettuce, its about the institutional failures of our healthcare bureaucracies (again!):

This isn’t really about lettuce. It’s about a public health infrastructure that spends billions preparing for theoretical biothreats while getting pantsed by a protozoan on a salad bar. The solution isn’t to stop eating vegetables — it’s to stop outsourcing your health security to agencies that have repeatedly demonstrated they can’t deliver.

What is Cyclospora

As a reminder, cyclospora is a parasite that spreads through raw produce and water that has been contaminated with human feces. The infection caused by the parasite, called cyclosporiasis, is responsible for what a variety of symptoms, including what is being referred to as “explosive diarrhea” in addition to cramps, fatigue, loss of appetite, low-grade fever and vomiting.

These symptoms can last up to a month if untreated!

In previous US outbreaks, cyclospora has been linked to fresh produce, including raspberries, basil, cilantro, green onions, snow peas, lettuce, mesclun and salad mixes. Research has also connected past outbreaks to blackberries, watercress, mangoes and even vegetable trays.

The Treatment

You can try to avoid every single food linked to cyclospora, you can follow all of the proper food safety practices, and you can still end up with the infection!

So what do you do to keep your family safe and healthy?

The good news is that while the cause of this outbreak is unknown, we do know what the treatment is – trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole - more commonly known as Bactrim.

Bactrim not only treats cyclospora infections but is the recommended treatment for a range of other GI and bacterial infections.

Don’t Wait Until You are Sick

We all know the time to stock up on medication – whether over the counter or prescription – is when you are healthy. Early intervention means early treatment and early treatment means a quicker path to recovery!

So how do you stock up on Bactrim?

That’s where The Wellness Company comes in!

This medical emergency kit contains an assortment of life-saving prescription medications – including Bactrim, as well as ivermectin, amoxicillin, Z-pak, and other medications. The Medical Emergency Kit includes a guidebook to aid in the safe use of these life-saving medications.

This kit is prescription-only – you can’t find it in any store or pharmacy. Simply fill out a short questionnaire after purchase and a trusted Wellness Company doctor will confirm your suitability and issue your prescription Medical Emergency Kit.

The Wellness Company Medical Emergency Kit includes: 

• Amoxicillin-Clavulanate (generic Augmentin) 875/125 mg - 28 tablets
• Azithromycin (generic Z-Pak) 250 mg - 12 tablets
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• Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (generic Bactrim) 800/160 mg - 28 tablets
• Ivermectin 12mg - 25 compounded capsules
• Fluconazole (generic Diflucan) 150 mg - 2 tablets
• Ondansetron (generic Zofran) 4mg - 6 tablets
• 1 Emergency Medication Guidebook written by the Chief Medical Board for safe use.

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