**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CYCLOSPORA CAYETANENSIS IS A COCCIDIAN PARASITE THAT CAUSES GASTROINTESTINAL ILLNESS IN HUMANS. IT IS ENDEMIC IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES AND FOR THE PAST 28 YEARS IT HAS BEEN AFFECTING THE U.S. POPULATION WHEN FOODS CONTAMINATED WITH CYCLOSPORA OOCYSTS ARE CONSUMED RAW. SINCE 2013, CLOSE TO 10,000 CASES OF CYCLOSPORIASIS WERE REPORTED IN THE U.S. SOME OF THESE CASES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH OUTBREAKS LINKED TO THE CONSUMPTION OF BASIL, SALAD GREENS, ROMAINE LETTUCE, AND CILANTRO. 2,299 DOMESTIC CASES WERE REPORTED IN 2018 AND A THIRD OF THESE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH TWO MULTISTATE OUTBREAKS LINKED TO PREPACKAGED VEGETABLE TRAYS AND SALADS SOLD AT A FAST FOOD CHAIN. SINCE THEN, IMPORTED AND DOMESTICALLY GROWN CILANTRO AND ROMAINE LETTUCE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN FOODBORNE OUTBREAKS IN THE U.S. URGING THE NEED TO BRING TOGETHER SCIENTISTS TO DISCUSS THE ADVANCES GAINED IN THE PAST AND TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS TO CONTROL CYCLOSPORA OUTBREAKS AND REDUCE ITS PREVALENCE IN ENDEMIC LOCATIONS. WE PROPOSE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:1) ORGANIZE AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WHERE SCIENTISTS THAT WORK WITH CYCLOSPORA FROM THE U.S. AND OVERSEAS CAN MEET AND PRESENT THEIR BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH ON THIS PARASITE.2) PREPARE A WHITE PAPER SUMMARIZING THE INFORMATION PRESENTED AT THE CONFERENCE AND IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE MORE RESEARCH SHOULD BE FOCUSED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE PARASITE. IT WILL ALSO ADDRESS IMPORTANT RESEARCH GAPS ON CYCLOSPORA AND HOW WE CAN CONTROL/PREVENT CYCLOSPORIASIS.