Houston area accounts for 90 of Texas cyclospora cases
Houston area is the center of Texas’ cyclospora count, with 90 of 123 cases. The parasite can cause weeks of diarrhea, and officials are still tracing the source.
The Houston area accounted for 90 of Texas’ 123 reported cyclospora cases, putting Harris County at the center of a summer foodborne illness that can leave people with days or weeks of gastrointestinal symptoms. Texas health officials have told clinicians to test and report patients who fit the pattern, while investigators continue to look for a common source.
Cyclospora, or cyclosporiasis, is caused by a parasite that spreads through contaminated food or water. The Texas Department of State Health Services says symptoms can include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, loss of appetite and fatigue, and the illness can drag on for weeks or months if it is not treated. UTHealth Houston said the usual pattern also includes cramping, bloating, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea and fatigue, with severe symptoms possible in some cases.
The state count has climbed quickly. Houston Public Media reported July 9 that Houston and Harris County health departments had recorded 34 cases of cyclosporiasis, and Spectrum Local News reported that Texas had 48 cases the same day. ABC13 reported July 8 that the Houston Health Department had confirmed 16 cases in the City of Houston. By July 28, the Texas total had reached 123, with the Houston area accounting for most of them.
Public-health agencies have also pointed to possible food links, but the picture is still incomplete. CDC outbreak materials referenced a July 2026 cyclospora outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce in nine states, and FDA-related coverage noted an investigation into shredded iceberg lettuce. Even so, the Houston-area count has not been pinned publicly to a single grocery item, restaurant, or retailer in the local reporting, which leaves residents with the practical problem of not knowing whether their exposure came from produce, prepared food or water.
That uncertainty matters for Harris County families who shop, eat and travel across the region every day. Galveston County Health District also reported 14 confirmed cases and four additional potential cases under investigation, showing the illness has spread beyond Houston itself. Texas had dealt with a similar regional problem before: a 2017 Houston metropolitan-area cyclospora outbreak was epidemiologically linked to green onions.
For people who develop prolonged diarrhea, dehydration, stomach cramps or fatigue, the state’s advice is to seek medical care and make sure the illness is reported. Texas DSHS has already told clinicians to test for Cyclospora when symptoms fit, because the outbreak response depends on catching cases early enough to track where they are coming from.
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