Cyclospora are microbes that can infect people via contaminated water or food, especially seeded berries, fresh herbs and leafy greens. The main symptom is watery diarrhea that lasts more than a week.

Normally, cases in the U.S. pick up in the summertime. But this year, they started showing up earlier, and most of the country has seen more than normal. That includes Oklahoma, where the State Health Department launched an investigation into cyclospora-related illness in May.

An OSDH spokesperson said most of the state’s cases have been in Northeastern Oklahoma. The investigation has identified romaine lettuce as a possible culprit, but the OSDH isn’t recommending Oklahomans avoid any specific foods right now.

This illness is still pretty uncommon — despite the uptick, Oklahoma has only reported between 11 and 30 cases this year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Food & Drug Administration are also investigating increased cases of cyclospora-related illness across the country this summer.

According to OSDH recommendations, people who experience diarrhea that comes and goes or lasts longer than a week should seek medical attention, and medical providers should consider testing them for cyclospora.

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