The Trump administration is dismantling much of the federal government’s specialized research on cyclospora as the foodborne parasite has sickened more than 17,000 Americans this summer, raising concerns about the government’s ability to investigate future outbreaks.
Two of the three Agriculture Department projects that make up nearly all of USDA’s cyclospora research were defunded by Congress earlier this year. The third is scheduled to move from the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland to Iowa this fall as part of a broader USDA reorganization.
But scientists working on the remaining project have declined to relocate, according to people familiar with the plans.
The loss of the research capacity comes as the FDA investigates multiple cyclospora outbreaks, including one that has sickened more than 11,000 people across 20 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Scientists Warn of a Knowledge Gap
Researchers say the consequences could extend beyond the current outbreak.
Kalmia Kniel, a University of Delaware professor who previously worked with Beltsville researchers, said scientists still know relatively little about cyclospora and depend on specialized models, samples and laboratory expertise to study the parasite.
“We know so little,” Kniel said. Without Beltsville, she added, “no one can work very fast.”
USDA employees familiar with the changes said parasitologists are retiring or leaving the agency rather than relocating.
“They will have no parasitologists,” one employee said. “There will be a big knowledge gap.”
Joelle Mosso of the Western Growers Association said replacing the laboratory would not immediately replace the expertise being lost.
“It’s not just replacing the lab,” Mosso said. “It takes decades to build expertise.”
USDA Blames Congress
USDA has rejected claims that the research is being disrupted.
A department spokesperson said Congress did not provide funding for two of the Beltsville projects in the fiscal 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Act.
“None of the research has been disrupted, and research will continue without disruption,” the spokesperson said.
USDA has also defended moving operations out of Beltsville, saying the 6,500-acre complex is too expensive to maintain and that relocating employees will make the department more efficient.
But employees and food safety advocates say moving the research itself could create significant disruptions.
The federal government completed a $32 million renovation of Beltsville’s food safety laboratory in 2022. Two USDA employees said replacement facilities are not expected to be as modernized.
Barbara Kowalcyk, an associate professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health, also raised concerns about transporting biological samples and equipment across the country.
Why It Matters
Cyclospora is particularly difficult to study, making specialized federal expertise especially valuable.
Susan Mayne, former director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, called the parasite “uniquely challenging” and said the science surrounding it remains less advanced.
The concern is not that USDA research cuts caused the current outbreak. Rather, scientists warn that losing federal researchers, samples and laboratory infrastructure could make future outbreaks harder to investigate and prevent.
With more than 17,000 Americans already sickened this summer, the changes are putting renewed focus on whether the federal government can preserve the specialized expertise needed to respond to emerging foodborne threats.
