This potentially deadly, flesh-eating parasite is getting closer to the US
The flesh-eating parasite, the New World screwworm, was recently detected in the Mexican state of Nuevo León.
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A potentially deadly parasite that can infect livestock, pets and humans is less than 100 miles away from the Texas border and is inching closer to the U.S.
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The flesh-eating parasite, called the New World screwworm, was detected this month in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, just 90 miles away from the U.S. border. As of last year, the insect was still 400 miles away.
The New World screwworm is a species of parasitic fly that completes part of its lifecycle by feeding on the tissue or flesh of warm-blooded animals and people. (USDA / FOX Weather)
"The New World screwworm is not some distant problem," Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. "It is a direct and imminent threat to Texas, and we are treating it that way. This is a high-stakes situation for our ranchers, our livestock industry and our food supply, and we are moving aggressively to stay ahead of it."
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the New World screwworm is a species of parasitic fly that completes part of its lifecycle by feeding on the tissue or flesh of warm-blooded animals and people.
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This insect is attracted to the smell of wounds and body openings, including the nose, eyes, ears, mouth and genitals.
Larvae, at stage 3 of their development, are in bio-waste. (GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Once a female fly makes contact, it can lay 200 to 300 eggs in a wound or opening that can be as small as a tick bite. In some cases, the fly may lay up to 3,000 eggs during its 10 to 30-day lifespan.
The eggs then hatch into maggots that burrow into the wound or opening and feed on the flesh. After about seven days of feeding, the larvae drop to the ground and eventually emerge as adult screwworm flies.
"The reality is the spread of the New World screwworm has not been successfully contained to date," Miller said. "That is a serious concern."
Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screw-worm fly, or screw-worm for short, is a species of parasitic fly that is well known for the way in which its larvae (maggots) eat living tissue. (Getty Images)
In 2023, Panama and Costa Rica identified an outbreak of the New World screwworm. Since then, all countries in Central America and Mexico have reported cases among animals and people. Before this outbreak, the spread of the insect had been controlled.
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As of this month, nearly 168,000 cases have been reported in animals and more than 1,700 cases in people, including one case involving a Maryland resident returning to the U.S. from El Salvador.
This was the first confirmed human case in the U.S. in years. The patient recovered, and no further spread has been identified.
Cattle are detained in the pens of the Chihuahua Regional Livestock Union. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images / FOX Weather)
The CDC said that most people who contract the New World screwworm experience symptoms such as feeling or seeing maggots in the skin, a foul-smelling odor from the site of infection and bleeding open sores.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the CDC are working to minimize the spread.
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Meanwhile, organizations around the country, including Clemson University, are working with other states to monitor its movement and prevent its spread should it enter the U.S.
The flesh-eating parasite, the New World screwworm, was detected this month in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, just 90 miles away from the U.S. border. (Getty Images)
As of March, the USDA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a plan to build a new sterile fly production facility in Edinburg, Texas, to help fight the spread of the parasite.
Even with this increased preparedness, experts still recommend that people take preventive measures and report anything unusual.
"We are educating the public and asking them to report any suspicious findings," Michael Neault, director of Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health, said. "Also, it’s important for the public to understand that NWS is treatable and animals can make a full recovery if it is detected early."