More than 40 states have reported infections from the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. When Ogden resident Kelly Quiroz first read about the wave of cases, she was thrilled.
“I went running into the kitchen, and I had my phone in my hand. I'm like, ‘Josh, Josh, there's the answer,’” she recalled.
Her 27-year-old son, Josh Carver, has been sick with symptoms mirroring the intestinal parasite infection for weeks. He’d been to his primary care physician on June 26, and the provider tested him for bacterial infections, but not cyclospora, Carver said.
Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea “with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the illness it causes, called cyclosporiasis, is less common than foodborne illnesses caused by other germs, including salmonella and E. coli.
On July 14, when the explosive diarrhea became more frequent, Carver said he went to urgent care and asked for a cyclospora test. The results came back a few days later: negative for everything, but no mention of cyclospora. Quiroz called and said she was told the Intermountain lab in Murray couldn’t test for the parasite.
So the search was on.
Quiroz found out that the University of Utah’s ARUP Laboratories has a test, but her son’s insurance wouldn’t cover it. She called a private lab, Labcorp, and found out they have a cyclospora test that costs $105 per test. To catch a complete sample, her son might need up to three tests.
Their insurance said they would cover it, but Quiroz was ready either way.
“Even if the insurance doesn't cover it and we have to cover it out of pocket, that's doable,” Quiroz said.
Carver said the fatigue from whatever’s making him sick, plus all the time spent trying to figure out where to test, has made it hard to keep up with his online classes.
“It makes scheduling, and someone who has, like, ADHD, who needs a lot of structure in their lives to be able to function, it makes it really hard to do that,” he said.
KUER reached out to Intermountain Health. A spokesperson said the company’s Central Laboratory can test for cyclospora as part of a larger panel, and tests for cyclospora alone are sent to ARUP Laboratories.
For people who think they have the parasite, which spreads through water and food contaminated with feces, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services recommends seeing a primary care physician and asking about a cyclospora test, which is separate from other lab tests, said spokesperson Danielle Conlon.
“The healthcare provider would need to assess the symptoms, make their determination of what tests need to be done, and then they would order the specific cyclospora test,” she said.
But that’s exactly what Carver said he did.
“It shouldn't be this hard to get something that's so widespread and so commonly known right now,” he said.
The state-run Utah Public Health Laboratory has a test for cyclospora, Conlon said, as do hospitals and urgent cares. Labcorp and ARUP Laboratories also offer the test, according to a Utah County Health Department spokesperson.
The state doesn’t track how many tests have been done, only how many came back positive. In its July 10 update, Health and Human Services said one Utah resident was diagnosed with cyclosporiasis more than a month ago, but the case is not related to the national outbreak.
It’s normal for cases to pop up in the spring and summer when cyclospora parasites mature enough to cause infections. Since May, the CDC said it has seen 4,173 confirmed cases, a number far greater than the 249 cases reported at the same time last year in early July. That makes it even more frustrating for Quiroz that it’s been so hard to get tested.
“His doctor should have recognized the symptoms right away and asked for the right test,” she said. “And instead, we've been, you know, spinning our wheels for the last three weeks.”
If someone tests positive for cyclospora, Conlon said epidemiologists will work with them to determine if their illness is related to the national outbreak. She encourages individuals with symptoms of foodborne illness to fill out a report for their local health department at igotsick.health.utah.gov.
At his third doctor’s visit, Quiroz said her son was prescribed antibiotics and an order for a cyclospora test. He planned to take the medicine and, if that doesn’t solve the issue, get tested at Labcorp.
Macy Lipkin is a Report for America corps member who reports for KUER in northern Utah.
