100+ parasite cases, 3 Wake County restaurants, outbreak 'appears to be over,' DHHS says

Health officials confirmed Wednesday they are investigating a cyclosporiasis infection outbreak that reportedly affected more than 100 people and three Wake County restaurants.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said the outbreak was identified in July. A spokeswoman with DHHS tells WRAL, “We have not identified the specific contaminated food item, and the outbreak appears to be over.”

WRAL asked the names of the three restaurants involved, but officials declined to name them.

Cyclosporiasis spreads when people ingest food or water contaminated with feces. Cases in the U.S. have been linked to consumption of fresh produce, according to the CDC.

The Wake County Health Department told WRAL News that it has had 134 cyclosporiasis cases reported since May and while three restaurants were being investigated, they were not thought to be the cause of the outbreak. Officials say that "investigations suggest herbs and vegetables may be the causative agent."

"We have not identified any restaurants as the problem but more with the products themselves," officials said.

Cyclospora can cause a wide range of symptoms including frequent diarrhea, stomach cramps and body aches. The CDC reports the time between infection and becoming sick can range from a few days to two weeks or longer.

One woman who spoke with WRAL News says her daughter first experienced symptoms in mid-June. The mother herself then became sick about two weeks later on July 11. They routinely eat at a Cary restaurant they were told could be connected to the outbreak.

“For me, it started with incredible body aches and chills,” she said. “Terrible stomach ache that was constant, no appetite and if you ate you felt worse.”

The woman also reported she and her daughter experienced acid reflux and burping for several days and short bouts of back pain.

The woman said she and her daughter learned of the root cause of their illnesses when a friend was hospitalized with similar symptoms.

The woman said her friend called from a hospital to tell her a stool test revealed they had cyclosporiasis.

The WRAL viewer was then tested through a WakeMed Urgent Care and was told her test results were also positive.

“What could’ve been me never knowing what was wrong, for her to say, ‘Hey, test for this parasite because that’s what I’ve got’ it was an incredible gift to be able to go right to urgent care and say ‘Hey, I think I may have this parasite,” the woman said.

The viewer tells WRAL News that she is thankful she has been able to work remotely as she is still experiencing symptoms, including diarrhea, nearly a month later. She said she still doesn’t know exactly what she or her daughter ate that caused the infection.

She also expects her symptoms have lingered longer due to a chronic health condition she’s dealt with for years.

“I feel badly for people that don’t know to go test for that and who are just sitting there thinking, ‘What is wrong with me?’ like my daughter who felt terrible for a long time,” the woman said.

Dr. Nicholas Turner with Duke Health said the health system hasn’t yet seen recent cases. He said in most instances, the body will fight off infection on its own after a few days of symptoms.

“In people who are immune suppressed, or the unfortunate few with a normal immune system but where symptoms do not resolve on their own after a few days, there are effective treatments. A by-mouth antibiotic called bactrim usually works well,” Turner shared.

The woman told WRAL News that she and her friend were both prescribed bactrim, but she was then advised to stop taking it due to her chronic health condition.

Turner said it is important physicians specifically a test for Cyclospora when submitting a stool sample.

“The diagnosis is the challenging part. A stool sample can be used to test for Cyclospora, but it’s not part of most of our routine rapid panels for parasite checks,” Turner stated. “When there are local outbreaks, it’s necessary for the ordering doctor to notify the lab that Cyclospora is the specific infection they are testing for.”

The CDC says several stool samples on different days may be required to detect the parasite.

“The biggest thing is the scary scariness of it. That it could happen at any time and that there’s no way to really protect yourself from it,” said Haley Trent, who is also recovering after being infected.

Haley Trent shared some of her symptoms in which she said she has been sick for nearly two weeks.

“Body chills, extreme fever, I was over 100 at quite a few points, diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite. I couldn’t keep any food down and couldn’t keep any water or any Gatorade, any type of medicine down,” Trent said.

After two trips to the emergency room Trent hopes she's finally on the road to recovery.

“I think the scariest part for me is just the two weeks that I have been out of work, that I have been sick and I have been unpaid. What’s to come next? We’re still here and I’m still experiencing symptoms,” Trent said.

The agency also reports people can be infected with Cyclospora more than once, but direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely.

Along with diarrhea, stomach cramps and body aches, common symptoms of cyclosporiasis infection include nausea, weight loss, loss of appetite, gas, prolonged fatigue, low-grade fever and other flu-like symptoms.