A Resurgence of New World Screwworm Threatens Texas Cattle
In a significant development for the U.S. cattle industry, a case of New World screwworm has surfaced in Texas, marking its first appearance on American soil in six decades. This flesh-eating fly, eradicated in the 1960s, now presents a renewed risk to livestock.
For the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), this discovery is treated as an emergency. Secretary Brooke Rollins stated in a media call, “We have a unified incident command team. We’ve established a 20-kilometer control area – a zone around the detection.”
Upon receiving the report of the suspected screwworm case, a USDA response team was swiftly deployed to Texas. The agency had been on high alert, anticipating potential spread from South America, where the screwworm had been migrating northward.
Rollins commented on the movement of the screwworm, emphasizing that, “The fly doesn’t fly itself – or, I should say, herself – long distances.” Instead, the spread is linked to cattle trade, moving from South America through Central America into Mexico and finally into the U.S.
The screwworm lays eggs in open wounds, which then hatch into larvae that consume living flesh. Bud Dinges from the Texas Animal Health Commission identified the affected calf at a ranch in Zavala County, just 60 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. “We had a 3-week-old beef calf that had a umbilical lesion and had larvae in the umbilical lesion itself there,” Dinges explained.
This incident has raised significant concerns among cattle ranchers. A joint report by Texas A&M and the USDA highlighted the potential devastation that could ensue if the screwworm spreads widely. Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer, leading the USDA’s efforts, reassured stakeholders by noting, “And so I do want to emphasize that there is only one infested animal. It is that 3-week-old beef calf. It is not a danger to the food supply.”
The New World screwworm, in the early 1900s, posed a severe threat to the cattle industry until its eradication in the 1960s through the strategic release of sterile flies. This method, which involves releasing flies that mate but do not reproduce, is still the primary strategy. Schmoyer detailed, “Two million flies are dispersed. That’ll be done twice a week for a total of 4 million flies a week.”
Ranchers have been urged to remain vigilant and regularly check their livestock. In response to the current threat, the U.S. plans to establish a new sterile fly production facility in Texas in the coming year.
Pien Huang, NPR News.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
