Caught the explosive diarrhea parasite? It could be just the start of long-term tummy troubles
Cyclospora had quite the summer.The parasite was linked to an outbreak involving iceberg lettuce that sickened people with a particularly miserable symptom: watery, explosive diarrhea.For anyone who got sick, the good news is that cyclospora infections can be treated.
But foodborne illnesses don’t always run dry when the diarrhea does.The CDC estimates that 48 million people get food poisoning every year.Meanwhile, thousands of people fell ill this summer amid a steady stream of recalls and outbreaks.Norovirus — commonly known as the stomach bug — causes more foodborne illness than any other germ.
Salmonella, the deadliest foodborne germ, was linked to a slew of everyday groceries, including jalapeños, blueberries, mangoes and even granola marketed to breastfeeding moms.For many people, the misery is temporary, with food poisoning typically resolving within in a few hours for mild cases and up to a week or longer for severe bacterial infectionsBut sometimes, a bout of food poisoning can trigger post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS), a chronic condition that can keep people dealing with abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating and other symptoms long after the original illness has disappeared.A 2024 review of 28,170 people across 47 studies found that 14.5% of people develop PI-IBS after acute gastroenteritis, a type of illness that includes food poisoning.Food poisoning can trigger inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, affecting the way the gut moves and disrupting its lining.The infection can also alter the gut microbiome, potentially setting the stage for symptoms that persist after the infection itself has cleared.The condition is characterized by abdominal pain or discomfort and changes in bowel habits, which can mean diarrhea, constipation or changes in stool consistency or simply needing to use the bathroom more (or less) often.
People may also experience bloating, gas, a feeling they haven’t emptied their bowels and a sudden, urgent ne...