Cyclospora outbreak in Guatemala: a study
A recent study titled, "Cyclosporiasis: a point source outbreak acquired in Guatemala," appears in the No vember-December 2006 Journal of Travel Medicine. The following is an abstract:
"Cyclosporiasis is a disease due to Cyclospora cayetanensis, an emerging coccidian parasite first described in 1979. It is an orally transmitted disease that is more frequent in tropical and subtropical areas. Cyclospora cayetanensis has been mainly described as a cause of travelers' diarrhea. This pathogen has given rise to a number of epidemic outbreaks attributable to ingestion of imported foods, particularly from tropical areas. Methods. Descriptive study of clinical and epidemiological data of a small epidemic outbreak of C cayetanensis-induced gastroenteritis. Results. Seven confirmed cases of C cayetanensis among Spanish nationals who had traveled to Antigua Guatemala are described. The incubation period was 6 days. Diarrhea, asthenia, anorexia, borborygmi, flatulence, and abdominal distension were present in all cases. Fever and heart burn in 85.7%. Weight loss in 71.4%. Abdominal pain, rectal tenesmus, and nausea in 42.8%. Vomiting and eructation in 14.2%. Heart burn was a frequent symptom, a finding not often previously described. The infection was probably acquired from raspberry juice. All cases improved with trimethoprim/sulphametoxazol. Conclusions. Cyclosporiasis is a cause of travelers' diarrhea. Parasitology laboratories must be advised of clinical suspicion of cyclosporiasis so that they can conduct a suitable targeted study; otherwise, false negative results may arise."More information about the Journal of Travel Medicine can be found on the Blackwell Publishing Web site.
How many rounds of Septra should I take to rid myself of this bug? I have taken two rounds 30 days apart and want to make sure to kill all those little children and grandchildren of the original "parents". I have had symptoms of figromyalgia since getting sick in Guatemala 6 years ago.