Current status of Cyclospora cayetanensis: epidemiology, diagnostics, prevention and control

Dr. Sonia Almeria is a Research Microbiologist at the US FDA with over 30 years of experience and international recognition in parasitology, epidemiology, host immune responses, parasite control and method development, with more than 150 publications and major contributions. She holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) degree and a Ph.D. in Parasitology. Since 2016, Dr. Almeria has led federal research focusing on developing and validating detection and characterization methods for Cyclospora cayetanensis in fresh produce and in soil. She serves as author and Person of Contact for the Foodborne Parasites chapter of the FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM Chapter 19b). She is also a member of the ISO working group on foodborne parasites and leads the working group 1 in the Cyclospora task force.  

Dr. Almeria’s talk will describe the status of C. cayetanensis in the US, as well as biology, epidemiology, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, detection and characterization, treatment, control and prevention and will outline future research needs to fill the knowledge gaps for this important parasite.