Cyclospora cayetanesis

The novelty of C cayetanensis has led to some misconceptions about how best to detect its presence in stool examinations. Some reports have implied that the organism can only be seen on stained specimens, which is not true. The unstained organism can easily be identified by its characteristic size and internal structures. However, not doing a concentration procedure can reduce the chances of detecting C cayentanensis by up to 40%. Finally, there have been false positive reports of C cayetanensis when stained artifacts were mistaken for the real organism. The best way to become comfortable with the laboratory diagnosis of C cayentanensis is to obtain some known positive samples and practice identifying the oocysts using a variety of methods. The clinical syndrome associated with C cayentanensis is recognizable. The patient will usually have prominent anorexia, fatigue, nausea, and gas. Diarrhea, after the initial severe bout, is often intermittent, and submitted specimens may be formed despite a persistent feeling of being unwell.