A parasitic fly with a flesh-eating larva has been found in Texas and could threaten the cattle industry if it spreads.
established a 12.4-mile-long, The Associated Press reported. It is only the third time a screwworm case has been found in the U.S. in decades.
No other flies have been found in the U.S., and while it threatens livestock, it does not infest food. The calf should recover if it receives the proper treatment, state officials said.
The United States Department of Agriculture established a 12.4-mile-long infested zone in the area and will increase surveillance, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The female New World screwworm fly will lay their eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes, and when they hatch, the larvae eat the flesh of the host. Not only can livestock be carriers, but so can wild mammals, pets, and humans. It is deadly if left untreated, the AP reported.
It does not infest fruit or vegetables, The New York Times reported.
The fly had been around before and caused tens of millions of dollars in losses before it was eradicated in the 1970s.
This is the first case in Texas since 1966, the AP reported. Cases, however, have been confirmed in Mexico, as close as 25 miles from the border.
A Maryland resident had a case of the illness after traveling to El Salvador. The person recovered, and there was no transmission of the parasite.
There was an outbreak in the Florida Keys in 2016 and it was contained by 2017. It was mostly found in wild deer there.
As in the 1970s, federal officials have released millions of sterile screwworm flies to mate with wild females. If they do, the eggs the females lay won’t hatch and will eradicate the population over time.
Most facilities that breed sterile flies have been shut down because the program was successful in the past. One still operates in Panama and another one in Mexico that focuses on fruit flies is being converted to a screwworm eradication program and another facility is being built in Texas.
The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will be tasked with making sure that beef, poultry, and eggs are safe to eat, the Times reported.