The U.S. Department of Agriculture is winding down two of three research efforts dedicated to studying cyclospora after congressional funding was not provided earlier this year, and the remaining program faces a planned relocation that its scientists do not want to make, according to reporting that cites internal documents and people familiar with the matter.
Those two projects were stripped of appropriations by Congress, while the third project - still funded - is scheduled to move from Maryland to Iowa this fall as part of a broader USDA reorganization, the report said. Although the third project retains funding, all of the scientists working on cyclospora have reportedly declined to relocate to Iowa.
Requests for immediate verification of those details were not fulfilled; Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House and the USDA could not immediately be reached for comment, the report noted. Separately, a USDA spokesperson told the reporting outlet that "none of the research has been disrupted, and research will continue without disruption," and placed responsibility for the two defunded projects on Congress.
The USDA spokesperson was quoted as saying, "Congress did not appropriate funding for the two BARC research projects referenced in the FY2026 Agriculture Appropriations Act," and that the department's Agricultural Research Service is "working with research leaders to ensure an orderly transition of programs."
The reporting added that scientists who have been researching foodborne parasites, including cyclospora, are opting to retire or leave the Agricultural Research Service rather than move to Iowa or be reassigned to other work.
The developments come against the backdrop of a major outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded more than 17,000 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis across 48 states plus the District of Columbia, making it among the largest foodborne illness outbreaks in recent U.S. history, the agency reported. The CDC also indicated that at least 11,844 additional cases may require further investigation and analysis.
For now, officials cited in the reporting disagree on whether research continuity is at risk. The USDA statement framed the issue as a funding decision by Congress and described steps to manage program transitions, while internal accounts and staffing moves signal that scientific capacity tied to these projects may be diminished if personnel do not relocate or choose to leave the agency.
The situation presents an unfolding administrative and staffing challenge for the USDA's research efforts on cyclospora, even as public health agencies continue to track and analyze thousands of cases linked to the outbreak.