Flesh-Eating Screwworm Parasite Detected in Texas

(MENAFN) A parasitic pest not seen in US livestock in nearly six decades has resurfaced on American soil, triggering an emergency federal response after the US Agriculture Department confirmed Wednesday the detection of the New World screwworm (NWS) in a bovine in Zavala County, Texas.

The parasite — eradicated from the United States decades ago — was identified in a 3-week-old calf, with larvae found burrowing into the animal's umbilical area. No additional cases have been detected, the department said.

The threat posed by the pest is severe. "NWS is a serious pest that affects livestock, pets, wildlife, and less commonly, people and birds. NWS larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious damage to livestock and economic losses," the department said in a statement.

Federal authorities have moved swiftly to contain the outbreak across Texas — the nation's second-largest state — establishing a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) affected zone and implementing quarantines, movement restrictions, and intensified surveillance operations.

In a bid to suppress the fertile fly population driving the parasite's spread, officials are accelerating the strategic deployment of sterile flies — a proven biological control method — across the affected region.

On the trade front, the department pledged to protect American agricultural exporters from sweeping economic fallout, stating it will "continue to work with state departments of agriculture, animal health officials, industry, and producers to mitigate economic impacts of restrictions as much as possible, including negotiating with our trading partners to regionalize any trade restrictions on live animals, limiting them to defined geographic areas."

Authorities moved to reassure the broader public, stressing that the risk of transmission to humans and pets remains low and that the outbreak poses no threat to food safety.

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