Cyclosporiasis (Cyclospora cayetanensis) 1996 Case Definition

NOTE: A surveillance case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. Surveillance case definitions enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions. Surveillance case definitions are not intended to be used by healthcare providers for making a clinical diagnosis or determining how to meet an individual patient’s health needs.

Clinical Description

An illness of variable severity caused by the protozoan Cyclospora cayetanensis and commonly characterized by watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal bloating and cramping, increased flatus, nausea, fatigue, and low-grade fever. Vomiting also may be noted. Relapses and asymptomatic infections can occur.

Laboratory Criteria For Diagnosis

Demonstration of Cyclospora oocysts (by morphologic criteria or by demonstration of sporulation) or Cyclospora DNA (by polymerase chain reaction) in stool, duodenal/jejunal aspirates or small-bowel biopsy specimens

Case Classification

Probable

A clinically compatible case that is epidemiologically linked to a confirmed case

Confirmed

A case that is laboratory confirmed

Comments

Direct person-to-person transmission is unlikely because Cyclospora oocysts are not infectious at the time of excretion.

Related Case Definition(s)

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Last Reviewed: April 16, 2021

Source: Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology