As thousands of infected people shed the parasite, public health experts say millions of cyclospora oocysts (the parasite’s hardy, egg-like stage) could enter Michigan’s wastewater systems each day. Tracking cyclospora through wastewater monitoringWastewater monitoring could be used to examine the outbreak by identifying regions of concern and, perhaps more importantly, monitoring progress toward its end. D’Souza and the Rose lab are developing and testing a method to detect cyclospora in wastewater. Once validated, D’Souza believes wastewater monitoring could help identify impacted areas in the state and provide key indications of areas where testing or interventions should be prioritized. Limitations of traditional tracebackWade Syers, a food safety specialist with MSU Extension is intrigued by the potential of wastewater monitoring for the parasite.