Inactivation and Decontamination Procedures

Cyclospora oocysts are highly resistant to environmental conditions and to chemical sanitizers. Pesticides used in the agricultural fields are ineffective at killing this parasite. Thermal treatment can inactivate Cyclospora, but is dependent on the temperature and treatment time. Experiments using sanitizers commonly used by the food industry have thus far been unsuccessful at inactivating Cyclospora, perhaps due to the nature of the oocyst cell wall. One of the critical points to prevent outbreaks of foodborne cyclosporiasis is at the farm level, by avoiding direct or indirect human fecal contamination of fresh produce and fruits.