Michigan health officials are investigating a cyclosporiasis outbreak that reached 708 cases over about 10 days, a pace Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian called “highly unusual.” The state’s chief medical executive said staff were pulling people’s grocery shopping lists as they tried to trace the source.
Michigan usually sees 40 to 50 cases a year, and Dr. Anurag Malani said, “There are many more cases that are yet to come.” Some patients have needed hospitalization, often from dehydration, and the illness is being treated with Bactrim.
Michigan case count
Bagdasarian said, “We’re pulling people’s grocery shopping lists,” as investigators worked through the rising count. Most cases in Michigan are centered in the southeastern part of Michigan, and health workers are trying to identify the food exposure that is driving the spread.
Cyclosporiasis does not spread from person to person. It is caused by cyclospora, a microscopic parasite linked almost always to fresh produce, with previous outbreaks involving raspberries, bagged lettuce or salads, cilantro and basil.
ProMedica Health System
Dr. Brian Kaminski said ProMedica Health System accounted for 411 cases as of Monday, and he described the pattern as an “epidemic cluster.” He said, “When we started seeing cases of persistent diarrhea showing up, we knew there’s something going on,” and added, “I would say that trend continues.”
Illnesses have also been reported in Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois and New Jersey. The FDA said its investigation into the source is ongoing, while the CDC and the FDA are monitoring the outbreaks.
CDC tracking change
The CDC said it has no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking the cases being reported now, even as illnesses continue in several states. As of July 2025, the CDC made tracking cyclospora optional as part of scaling back its Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, a change that makes outbreak counting harder to compare across states.
That leaves the practical question for affected readers: avoid fresh produce tied to this illness when possible, and watch for watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and loss of appetite if they have been exposed. The investigation is still centered on finding the source before more cases are added to the count.
