What queer people should know about the 'diarrhea parasite' ruining our summer salads

Big gay salads are the spice of life when it comes to summer living, but queer people can’t have anything under this administration — not even fresh produce and a sense of unadulterated whimsy at the farmers market. It’s no secret that the Trump administration’s defunding of institutions that previously kept us healthy, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), has had widespread consequences, now including a parasite that loves to live on fresh produce and causes watery diarrhea. If you’re looking at that bag of salad mix sitting in your fridge a little more suspiciously, you should be.

The latest casualty in the rising tide of illnesses following the Trump administration’s cuts to critical aspects of U.S. public health infrastructure is an outbreak of cyclospora, a parasite that causes a condition called cyclosporiasis that includes watery diarrhea and stomach cramping in those infected. Health authorities have yet to trace the source of the outbreak, which was first detected in May and has since spread to 34 states. According to the CDC, there have been 1,645 confirmed cases; however, local health authorities have reported higher numbers of confirmed cases, with 5,000 cases and counting reported in Michigan alone and 517 cases across New York state.

The outbreak has been linked to fresh produce contaminated by cyclospora, though an exact source has not been confirmed. On July 16, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged people not to eat shredded lettuce at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. NBC reported that two sources with knowledge of the federal investigation told the news outlet the Taco Bell lettuce supplier being investigated is Taylor Farms. Despite this new lead, the source or sources of the outbreak have yet to be confirmed.

In the wake of the outbreak, people are trying to keep themselves safe and understand what is still safe to eat to minimize the risk of contracting cyclospora. For queer and transgender people in particular, who disproportionately work in food service, are increasingly working on farms and in farmers markets, and are significantly more likely to be vegetarian or vegan, understanding how exposure to the parasite works is paramount. ACLU attorney and trans advocate Chase Strangio even documented his experience with the parasite with Business Insider.

But before you rush to purchase vegetable soap to scrub your produce (which is largely ineffective in preventing the spread of cyclospora) it’s important to learn about how it proliferates, best hygiene practices, and what else you can do to keep yourself safe.

What is cyclospora — and how does it spread?

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness characterized by stomach cramping and watery diarrhea caused by cyclospora cayetanensis, a parasite that can spread through infected water and food. Dr. Demetre Dakalakis, Chief Medical Officer for Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York City, says that most often, it is spread through fresh produce.

“One important distinction is that Cyclospora is not immediately infectious when it is shed in stool,” Daskalakis tells The Advocate. “The parasite needs time in the environment to mature before it can infect someone else. Because of that, direct person-to-person transmission is much less common than we see with some other stomach bugs.”

That said, it’s important to take extra precautions when handling produce, especially as the outbreak is suspected to be linked to fresh vegetables.

How should I wash produce to prevent the spread?

While some people’s first instinct might be to reach for vegetable soap, as was the case during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, “there is no foolproof way to completely eliminate cyclospora from contaminated produce, but there are steps people can take to reduce their risk,” Daskalakis tells The Advocate.

Vegetable soap is not an effective way to kill cyclospora on contaminated food. Daskalakis recommends thoroughly rinsing fresh fruits and vegetables before cutting, eating, or cooking them, to minimize spread. Produce that is firm like cucumbers and melons or has a skin like oranges and bananas, can be scrubbed with a produce brush. Additionally, washing your hands before and after you touch fresh produce is an effective way to keep safe.

For people taking extra precautions, CNN reported that avoiding berries, shredded lettuce, salad greens, fresh herbs, and other uncooked leafy greens, as these have been linked to prior outbreaks of cyclospora. Pre-cut vegetables or packaged greens like spring mixes should also be rewashed and rinsed if you are considering eating them.

If you want to be on the safe side, cooking your vegetables kills cyclospora, as they die at temperatures of 158 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, per the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

What if I work on a farm, food service, or in proximity to fresh produce?

As the food service industry is the largest employer of LGBTQ+ people of any job sector, per the UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center, many queer and trans people interact with a high volume of fresh produce. According to Daskalakis, people who work with fresh vegetables should take additional precautions to minimize exposure to cyclospora.

“Anyone who grows, handles, transports, sells, or prepares fresh produce should be especially diligent about hygiene and food-safety practices. That means washing hands thoroughly after using the restroom, staying home when experiencing diarrheal illness, using safe water sources, and taking steps to prevent contamination of produce by human waste,” he says.

“These precautions are good practice for everyone, but they're particularly important for people working directly with fresh produce because cyclosporiasis is linked to contamination of food and water with human stool,” Daskalakis says.

Can I catch cyclosporiasis through anal sex?

There is increased concern, especially among queer people, about whether cyclosporiasis can spread from person-to-person through sex, especially if it involves your mouth and anus. Given that there have been increasing cases of Shigella reported in the last year, a bacterial infection of the gut that can cause fever, cramps, and diarrhea, which can spread through sex, especially anal sex, Daskalakis says the concern is warranted.

“This is an important question, particularly for LGBTQ+ communities that have experienced outbreaks of other enteric infections such as Shigella,” he says. “At this time, cyclosporiasis is not generally considered a sexually transmitted infection, and there is limited evidence that sexual transmission plays a significant role in the spread of cyclospora.”

The short answer is that cyclosporiasis cannot spread from person to person, and it is not considered a sexually transmitted parasite. That said, people should still exercise caution and thorough hygiene practices, especially if coming into contact with human feces.

“Any activity that involves exposure to feces (poop) can potentially increase the risk of enteric infections, other stomach bugs,” Daskalakis says. “Good hygiene practices, including washing hands and the genital and anal area before and after sex, and avoiding sex when either partner has diarrhea or gastrointestinal symptoms, are good precautions for reducing exposure to a range of these infections.”