The CDC used to have 11 scientists tracking food parasites. They now have 3.

The evidence supports a narrower version of the statement. The Guardian and Science, the journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, both report that a CDC laboratory or team responsible for monitoring and analyzing Cyclospora cases declined from 11 people to three after contracts were not renewed. Science attributes the staffing figures to team leader Michael Barratt.

However, the wording broadens that evidence in two important ways:

• The reported team appears to be Cyclospora-specific, not necessarily the entire CDC workforce involved in tracking food parasites.
• The supplied evidence does not include a CDC staffing record confirming the current count, the precise date of the count, or whether contractors and related personnel are included.

There is also a scope discrepancy. A separate Guardian report described four staffers specializing in stomach illnesses. That may refer to a different or broader unit, a different date, or a different counting method, but the available evidence does not resolve the difference.

Accordingly, the strongest supported formulation is: "A CDC team focused on monitoring and analyzing Cyclospora reportedly fell from 11 people to three." The broader claim about all scientists tracking food parasites is not established by the supplied sources.