Cyclospora cayetanensis

Cyclospora cayetanensis,

a pathogenic protozoon that causes diarrhea, cramps, and fever in humans. The microorganism, a coccidian parasite about 0.01 mm in diameter, was identified in 1979, after the first known cases of the infection were diagnosed. Before 1996 only three outbreaks of Cyclospora infection had been reported in the United States. In May and June 1996, several hundred laboratory-confirmed cases were reported in 10 states and in Ontario, Canada. Although Cyclospora is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, person-to-person transmission is unlikely because oocytes require days to weeks under favorable conditions to become infectious after leaving an infected host.

---

Cyclospora cayetanensis

Parasitology A Cryptosporidium-like coccidian protozoan, family Eimeriidae, which is implicated in episodic traveler's diarrhea; it infects the GI tract of immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts–especially with AIDS. See Cyclosporiasis.