As Michigan experiences the largest cyclosporiasis outbreak in its history, Michigan State University researchers say wastewater surveillance, the same public health tool widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, could help identify hotspots, monitor the outbreak’s progression and guide public health response.
While public health officials continue investigating the outbreak’s source, researchers in MSU’s Water Quality and Environmental Microbiology Lab, also known as the Rose lab, are developing methods to detect Cyclospora cayetanensis in wastewater. The approach could eventually provide a community-wide picture of where infections are increasing or declining without relying solely on clinical testing. The lab regularly monitors wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), influenza, RSV, Candida auris and norovirus. Researchers are now adapting those methods to detect cyclospora.