Florida is one of the states with reported cases of Cyclospora, but how many cases are in South Florida?

Cyclospora, a parasite that causes extreme diarrhea, outbreaks have been reported across several states, including here in South Florida. 

According to Florida Department of Health's Reportable Disease Frequency Report, 25 cases have been reported across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe counties. 

Miami-Dade County has the majority of those cases, with 17 total, while Broward County has seven total cases and Monroe County has only one case. 

In Florida, the total amount of cases for all the counties is 96, with Miami-Dade having the most in the state. 

Experts, however, are warning that there could be more cases than what has been reported. 

"This infectious disease may be hard to monitor due to the nature of the signs and symptoms," said Dr. Norman Beatty, an associate professor of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at UF Health Shands. "It's common to get a diarrheal illness at times, and other infectious diseases can resolve on their own, but cyclosporiasis is important to identify right now because there are multiple outbreaks across the country."

Why does the reporting for Cyclospora take so long?

Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the parasite cyclospora, which causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Once a case is confirmed through testing, a report is sent to the state department of health. But if someone doesn't seek medical attention, the case could go unreported, Beatty said. 

In most scenarios, people who get cyclosporiasis will recover on their own. But in some cases, people can have persistent symptoms and relapsing infections over time, so any suspected cases should be tested, Beatty said.

Direct human to human transmission is rare, he said, but if infected, people could shed the parasite into the environment, where it could become infectious again within a week or two, contributing to another outbreak.  

"It's a very hardy parasite," he said.

The outbreak was first reported in Michigan on July 1, with other outbreaks later reported in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the CDC.

While 34 states, including Florida, have reported cases, the source of the outbreak is still unknown.

This story contains reporting from News Service of Florida.