Synonym: Cryptosporidium cayetanensis Tauxe, 1997 lapsus
Synonym: Cyclospora cayetenensis Duluol, Teilhac, Poirot, Heyer, Beaugerie, & Chatelet, 1996 lapsus
Updated: 31 October 2001
E-mail: Steve J. Upton Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506
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History: The first published report of Cyclospora cayetanensis in humans appears to be by Ashford (1979), who found unidentified Isospora-like coccidia in the feces of 3 individuals in Papua, New Guinea. At least the photomicrographs in the paper reveal an organism morphologically identical to that we see now. Later, Narango et al. (1989) reported what may be the same organism from several Peruvians with chronic diarrhea and termed the organism Cryptosporidium muris-like. Other investigators thought the unsporulated oocysts appeared more similar to cyanobacteria, and the name "cyanobacterium-like body" or CLB became prevalent in the literature (occasionally, authors also used the term "coccidian-like body" for CLB). Eventually, Ortega et al. (1992) published an abstract reporting that they had sporulated and excysted the oocysts, resulting in placement of the parasite in the genus Cyclospora. They also created the name Cyclospora cayetanensis at this time. However, since no morphologic information was presented in the abstract, C. cayetanensis technically became a nomen nudum (a named species without a description). Although Ortega et al. (1993) later published additional details about this coccidian, it wasn't until 1994 that a complete morphologic description was published to validate the name (Ortega et al., 1994). Thus, the correct name for this parasite is Cyclospora cayetanensis Ortega, Gilman, & Sterling, 1994, and the etymology of the nomen triviale is derived from Cayetano Heredia University in Lima, Peru. During this 2-year period when C. cayetanensis was a nomen nudum, anyone wishing to publish a complete morphologic