Flesh-Eating Parasite Discovered In U.S.

For the first time since 1966, a flesh-eating parasite that consumes warm-blooded animals has been found in the United States.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday night that New World Screwworm (NWS), which has been spreading throughout Mexico for the past year, has now been discovered in a calf in Texas.

Since instances started to rise in Central America and Mexico, efforts have been made to postpone the introduction of screwworm in the United States.

About thirty miles (48 kilometers) from the southern US-Mexico border, in the hamlet of La Pryor, Texas, the case was confirmed.

US cattle farmers have been worried that an outbreak might cause herds to decline, lower beef production, and raise consumer prices.

The females of screwworms, which are parasitic flies, deposit their eggs in animal mucous membranes and open wounds.

When the eggs hatch, hundreds of larvae with sharp teeth tunnel through living flesh, killing their host if treatment is not received.

Although NWS can infest both humans and pets, there is little risk to humans and few incidences of screwworm in humans. There are no risks to food safety from the fly.

Millions of sterile screwworm flies are also being released because the females only mate once in their lives and any eggs they lay will not be fertilized and hatch.