A recent report from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department indicates the New World screwworm is inching its way closer to the U.S./Mexico border.
New World screwworms (NWS) are parasitic flies that lay eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes such as the nostrils, eyes or mouths of live warm-blooded animals. These eggs hatch into a type of parasitic larvae (maggots) that only feeds on living tissue, while other species of fly larvae prefer dead or necrotic tissue. NWS larvae burrow or “screw” into living tissue with sharp mouth hooks, giving them a screw-like appearance. Infested wounds quickly become infected and, if left untreated, will kill the infested animals.
On Sept. 21, Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA) confirmed a positive detection of New World screwworm (NWS) in a cow in Sabinas Hidalgo, located in Nuevo León, Mexico, about 84 miles from Laredo. Preliminary reports indicate the cow had been moved to a certified feedlot from a region in southern Mexico with known NWS cases.
