Monroe County reports first cyclosporiasis case amid statewide spike

Monroe County recorded its first documented cyclosporiasis case as Miami-Dade County’s count nearly tripled in a week, pushing the parasite farther into South Florida and the Florida Keys. Cyclosporiasis is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, a microscopic parasite that infects the small intestine and typically brings watery diarrhea after about a week.

Florida had at least 50 confirmed cases between May 1 and July 4, and one state update put Miami-Dade at 20 confirmed infections, up from nine, with nearly all of those cases reported in the previous two weeks. Florida health officials have said the outbreak appears to be part of a broader nationwide spike, and some experts say the number may still lag the real spread because cases can be missed or reported late.

The Monroe case matters because it shows the illness has moved beyond the larger metro areas that had carried most of Florida’s counts. The question now is whether the Keys case points to a shared produce source, a travel-related exposure or another pattern that could pull in more local patients before investigators identify a common source.

Cyclosporiasis outbreaks have long been linked to contaminated produce, which is why the CDC continues to push basic food-safety steps. The agency says people should wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking them, and avoid contaminated water. For Monroe County, the warning is immediate and practical: watery diarrhea that starts about a week after exposure is not a stomach bug to shrug off when the outbreak has already reached the Keys.