The Trump administration is halting vital federal research on the foodborne parasite Cyclospora, despite the record-breaking, nationwide outbreak of the diarrheal pathogen, according to Politico.

Of the three research programs that represent nearly all of the Cyclospora work at the US Department of Agriculture, two have been defunded, and the third is about to lose every scientist working on it. The Trump administration is shuttering the USDA's Beltsville Agricultural Research Center near Washington, DC, and moving its work to a location in Iowa. That includes relocating the remaining Cyclospora research.

Although the research is still funded, insiders told Politico that not one of the scientists working on the project plans to relocate from Maryland to Iowa. Instead, they are either retiring, being reassigned to a different project, or leaving the USDA's research services.

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The Trump administration continues to respond sluggishly to the explosive, nationwide outbreak of Cyclospora—a unicellular parasite spread from human feces that has now sickened nearly 23,000 people in 47 states, killing two and sending over 500 to the hospital.

Michigan health officials reported the two deaths Monday, and The Washington Post first reported Tuesday that federal health officials have expanded a list of states with linked cases from nine to 15. But those updates still have not appeared on public outbreak pages for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Food and Drug Administration, and Americans are struggling to understand the risk of eating fresh fruits and vegetables.

In comments to Ars Technica on Monday, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees CDC and FDA, said the outbreak information will be updated sometime "this week." Sources for The New York Times said that the CDC plans to set up a "formal response team" for the outbreak sometime this week. Cases in the outbreak began in June.

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Two people have died amid the ongoing record-breaking outbreak of explosive diarrhea from the foodborne parasite Cyclospora, Michigan health officials announced Monday.

Cyclosporiasis fatalities are extremely rare, and despite the massive size of the outbreak, some experts were still surprised by the deaths. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Monday said that medical records of both individuals indicated that they had "significant underlying health conditions that may have been impacted by cyclosporiasis and dehydration."

MDHHS noted that both fell ill with the diarrheal infection before Taylor Farms recalled its shredded iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico, which has been linked to thousands of cases in at least nine states. Cyclospora is a unicellular parasite that spreads in human feces and is often transmitted via contaminated fresh produce, such as lettuces and other fruits and vegetables that have uneven surfaces for the parasite to grip. Past culprits have included fresh herbs, raspberries, green onions, and snow peas.

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Anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made it one of his top priorities to convince Americans to "eat real food," including more fresh fruits and vegetables. But, it's a hard sell when those real foods are causing real eruptions of explosive diarrhea across the country.

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating six outbreaks of foodborne diarrheal illnesses caused by Cyclospora, a unicellular parasite known for spreading from human feces onto fresh produce. Past outbreaks have been linked to leafy greens, fresh basil, fresh cilantro, snow peas, green onions, and raspberries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tallied a record high of over 11,500 confirmed and probable cases across 41 states, with over 300 requiring hospitalization. And that case total is almost certainly an undercount.

The largest of the outbreaks is linked to Taylor Farms' iceberg lettuce that was sold at Taco Bell restaurants and many other companies. The outbreak has sickened thousands of people across nine states, up from five states identified last week. One of the affected states is Michigan, which alone has reported 9,253 cases as of July 27. The other five outbreaks have no identified source.

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The Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday that it's investigating yet another outbreak of Cyclospora, the unicellular foodborne parasite behind a nationwide surge in explosive watery diarrhea illnesses. The FDA said 72 cases have been identified in this outbreak, but the agency provided no details on the situation.

This announcement marks the sixth Cyclospora outbreak investigation the FDA has opened this year. Overall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gotten reports of more than 11,500 cases (including 4,173 confirmed and over 7,400 probable) from 41 states. Among the cases, there have been 308 hospitalizations and no deaths.

This year's tally so far—just in July—greatly exceeds the normal number of cases the US sees in a whole year. In recent years, the US has reported between 2,000 and 5,000 cases in a year, according to CDC data. With a new outbreak announced, the tally of cases is likely to continue climbing. Nevertheless, when asked about the national surge in cases earlier this week, anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the situation was "under control."

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Cases of an explosive diarrheal parasite continue to skyrocket in Michigan, which is reporting 1,251 cases as of July 9. Of those, 44 were hospitalized. Meanwhile, across the border in Ohio, cases are also quickly rising, with news reports of a case total over 500.

The outbreak in Michigan began with two cases reported on June 22 and rose steeply at the start of July. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) reported 572 cases on July 4. On Wednesday, July 8, 239 cases were reported, the highest single-day tally so far. The current total of 1,251 cases includes 159 case reports received on July 9.

The epicenter of the outbreak is in the southeastern corner of the state, where health officials from multiple jurisdictions are working furiously to identify and interview cases to track the source, or sources, of the parasite, which spreads through food and water.

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Cases of a diarrhea-causing intestinal parasite have exploded in Michigan over the last two weeks in an outbreak that still has no clear source.

As of July 6, the state has received reports of over 700 cases since June 22, along with 36 hospitalizations, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHSS) told Ars Technica on Tuesday.

On June 30, the health department reported 170 cases, which rose to 572 on July 4.

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