Aug 30 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is shuttering two of the three U.S. Department of Agriculture research projects studying cyclospora, a foodborne parasite that has sickened thousands of Americans this summer, Politico reported on Sunday.
The two projects were defunded by Congress earlier this year, while the third is due to be moved in coming months from Maryland to Iowa as part of a broader USDA reorganization, according to the report.
Although the third project remains funded, all scientists working on the parasite have declined to relocate to Iowa, Politico reported, citing people familiar with the plans and internal documents.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
“None of the research has been disrupted, and research will continue without disruption,” a USDA spokesperson said, while pointing to Congress over the funding cuts.
Congress did not appropriate funding for the two research projects that were being undertaken at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center outside Washington for the 2026 fiscal year in the Agriculture Appropriations Act, the spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that the Agricultural Research Service is working with research leaders to ensure an orderly transition of the programs.
Scientists researching foodborne parasites, including cyclospora, are retiring or leaving the USDA’s ARS rather than relocating or being reassigned to other projects, the report said.
Reuters reported earlier this week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded more than 17,000 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases across 48 states plus the District of Columbia, making it one of the largest foodborne illness outbreaks in recent U.S. history.
At least 11,844 additional cases may require further investigation and analysis, the CDC said.
(Reporting by Bipasha Dey and Gargi Gupta in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Jan Harvey and Bill Berkrot)
