Cyclospora cayetanensis infection (cyclosporiasis)

For treatment of children with diarrhoea caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis, seek expert advice.

The mainstay of therapy for diarrhoea caused by C. cayetanensis (cyclosporiasis) is rehydration in addition to antimicrobial therapy.

To treat diarrhoea caused by C. cayetanensis in adults who are immunocompetent, use:

To treat diarrhoea caused by C. cayetanensis in adults with immune compromise, use:

Trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole is the drug of choice to treat infectious diarrhoea caused by C. cayetanensis. For patients who report trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole hypersensitivity, verify their allergy. In some patients it may be appropriate to directly delabel their allergy by taking an extensive allergy history (see Trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole hypersensitivity in adults); in these patients trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole should be used.

For patients with a verified allergy to trimethoprim+sulfamethoxazole, seek expert advice from an infectious diseases physician or clinical microbiologist. For patients who have had a nonsevere (immediate or delayed) or a severe immediate hypersensitivity reaction, desensitisation may be considered with expert advice. There are limited data to support the use of ciprofloxacin or nitazoxanideLi, 2020.

Maintenance therapy (secondary prophylaxis) in adults with immune compromise may be required; seek expert advice.

For patients with a new diagnosis of HIV, see Cyclospora cayetanensis gastroenteritis in adults with HIV infection for information on starting antiretroviral therapy.