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Summary: Health officials are hurriedly developing a test to detect cyclospora, which has sickened more than 1,000 in 11 states The microbe, known as cyclospora, is a parasite that infects the intestine and can cause intense diarrhea, weight loss and fatigue. Cyclospora has caused three previous outbreaks of disease in the United States, but the ones that started this spring are by far the largest. The current cyclospora outbreak has caught health officials by surprise. They say parasites rarely cause large food-borne outbreaks and that this is the first major national one in recent years. In 1993, an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in the Milwaukee water supply sickened 400,000 people. in 1993

The microbe, known as cyclospora, is a parasite that infects the intestine and can cause intense diarrhea, weight loss and fatigue. It has caused three previous outbreaks of disease in the United States but the ones that started this spring are by far the largest. Despite warnings about such diseases, the current cyclospora outbreak has caught health officials by surprise. They say parasites are rarely the cause of large food-borne outbreaks and this is the first major national one in recent years. An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in the Milwaukee water supply sickened 400,000 people in 1993. This country's food supply is considered very safe. But Dr. Stephen Ostroff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal officials said the cyclospora outbreak 'highlights the potential vulnerability' of the food supply when a crack appears in the safety walls that protect it

The Food and Drug Administration has asked six laboratories -- four of its own, one at the CDC in Atlanta and another at the California health department -- to use the PCRtest to try to detect cyclospora on fruit. The tests are being done on leftovers from implicated meals served in homes and restaurants, and from random samples collected from stores, distributors and growers. Despite warnings about such diseases, the current cyclospora outbreak has caught health officials by surprise. They say that parasites are rarely the cause of large food-borne outbreaks and that this is the first major national one in recent years. An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in the Milwaukee water supply sickened 400,000 people in 1993

Fragments of the worm were found in an AIDS victim who died of the infestation, but were not identified until a year later. The worm had molecular biology resembling that of a tapeworm but acted more aggressively in the body than most tapeworms. The scientists who solved the medical puzzle are from both Stanford and the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara, Calif. The authors said they did not find the entire worm but identified it from fragments by using the genetic techniques. The worm has not been named. ``We are concerned that this parasite may affect not only people who are immune deficient, such as this patient, but people who are immune competent,'' [Luis Fajardo] said. ``If this infection occurs again, we will be very concerned.''

Scientists in California say that they have discovered what they believe is a previously unknown parasitic worm that can be fatal to humans. Worm fragments were found in an AIDS patient who died from the infestation, but they were not identified until a year later. The worm had molecular biology resembling that of a tapeworm but acted more aggressively than most tapeworms

Scientists in California say that they have discovered what they believe is a previously unknown parasitic worm that can be fatal to humans. Fragments of the worm were found in an AIDS sufferer who died from the infestation, but they were not identified until a year later. The worm had molecular biology resembling that of a tapeworm but acted more aggressively in the body than most tapeworms. Doctors initially thought the man was suffering from a rapidly growing cancer in the abdomen. But a biopsy and the use of new genetic laboratory techniques found that the large mass of tissue was from the worm's fast growth, which caused scar tissue

Fragments of the worm were found in an AIDS victim who died from the infestation, but they were not identified until a year later. The worm had molecular biology resembling that of a tapeworm but acted more aggressively in the body than most tapeworms. Doctors initially thought the man was suffering from a rapidly growing cancer in the abdomen. But a biopsy and the use of new genetic laboratory techniques found that the large mass of tissue was from the worm's fast growth, which caused scar tissue. The scientists who solved the medical puzzle are from both Stanford and the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara, Calif. The authors said they did not find the entire worm but identified it from fragments by using the genetic techniques. The worm has not been named

Scientists in California said on Jun 28, 1996 that they had discovered what they believe is a previously unknown parasitic worm that can be fatal to humans. Fragments of the worm were found in an AIDS patient who died from the infestation

Summary: The unnamed worm resembles a tapeworm at the molecular level but causes much more damage in the body Fragments of the worm were found in an AIDS victim who died from the infestation, but they were not identified until a year later. The worm's molecular biology resembled that of a tapeworm but acted more aggressively in the body than most tapeworms. Doctors initially thought the man was suffering from a rapidly growing cancer in the abdomen. But a biopsy and the use of new genetic laboratory techniques found that the large mass of tissue was from the worm's fast growth, which caused scar tissue

At least 30 children in Haiti have died of acute kidney failure after taking contaminated liquid acetaminophen made by a pharmaceutical company in Haiti, international health officials said on Jun 25, 1996. Haitians traveling in the US were warned to discard bottles bearing the trade names Afebril and Valodon. The drug was contaminated with diethylene glycol, for which there is no antidote