The Trump administration is winding down the bulk of the US Department of Agriculture’s research into cyclospora, a foodborne parasite that has infected tens of thousands of Americans this summer, according to a report from Politico.
Two of the three federal research projects dedicated to the parasite have already lost their funding, while a third is set to be relocated from Maryland to Iowa under a wider shake-up at the USDA. Politico, citing people familiar with the plans and internal documents, reported that every scientist assigned to the third project has refused to move.
The developments come as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logs one of the worst foodborne illness outbreaks in recent US history.
A research apparatus left in disarray
The two axed projects were based at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Centre, just outside Washington DC, and were defunded by Congress earlier this year. A USDA spokesperson told Reuters that legislators did not appropriate money for the programmes in the 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Act.
The third project remains technically alive on paper. Under the agency’s restructuring, however, it is expected to shift from its current Maryland base to Iowa in the coming months. The USDA has confirmed it is working with research leaders to ensure “an orderly transition”.
In practice, that transition looks unlikely to proceed smoothly. Politico reported that scientists specialising in foodborne parasites, including cyclospora, are either retiring or leaving the Agricultural Research Service rather than uprooting their lives or being reassigned to unrelated work.
The result is a vanishingly small pool of federal expertise at precisely the moment public health officials say they need it most.
A mounting public health toll
Between 1 May and 24 August, the CDC confirmed more than 17,000 cases of cyclosporiasis across 48 states and Washington DC. The agency has flagged at least 11,844 additional cases that may require further investigation.
Cyclospora infections, caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, are typically spread through contaminated fresh produce and water. Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, loss of appetite and fatigue, and can linger for weeks if untreated.
The scale of the current outbreak has put renewed focus on a long-standing weakness in US food safety infrastructure. Federal law requiring closer scrutiny of foodborne illness outbreaks has been stalled for the past 15 years, according to previous reporting.
The USDA pushes back
The USDA has moved to reassure the public that the cuts will not compromise its scientific work. “None of the research has been disrupted, and research will continue without disruption,” a spokesperson said, before pointing to Congress for the funding decisions.
The spokesperson also confirmed that the Agricultural Research Service is collaborating with research leaders to manage the transition, though declined to address the wave of departures reported by Politico. Reuters said it could not independently verify the details of the original report.
The episode underscores a familiar tension in Washington: responsibility for public health funding is shared, but accountability often vanishes in the handover.
Why it Matters
The dismantling of federal cyclospora research at the very moment infections are surging sends a troubling signal about America’s readiness to handle foodborne threats. With experienced scientists exiting rather than relocating, the country risks losing institutional knowledge that cannot easily be rebuilt. If the trend continues, the next outbreak will arrive in a country with fewer tools, and fewer experts, to fight it.
