Deadly pest resurfaces in US cattle after 60 years

Image of a screwworm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax).
US Department of Agriculture.
The screwworm fly, a pest eradicated 60 years ago in the United States, has returned to affect North American cattle, after the US Department of Agriculture confirmed two cases this week.
The first occurrence was recorded on Wednesday (3), in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas. Two days later, the American government confirmed a second case, located approximately 9 kilometers from the first outbreak, in a one-month-old calf.
The New World screwworm fly is considered one of the most destructive pests in livestock farming. Females lay eggs in open wounds of warm-blooded animals, and the larvae that emerge begin to feed on living tissue.
Unlike most flies, whose larvae consume decaying matter, the screwworm flies attack living, healthy flesh, enlarging the lesions and potentially causing serious infections.
"All models indicated that the New World screwworm fly would enter the country in 2025. However, thanks to the work of the entire Trump administration [...] we were able to buy time for this moment," said Dudley Hoskins, Undersecretary of Marketing and Programs. Regulation.
"The USDA has invested heavily in the tools needed to eliminate NWS since cases began to rise in Central America and Mexico. The United States has defeated this pest before, and we will do so again."
The USDA and Texas officials are taking a series of measures to contain the pest, including creating a containment zone, strengthening enforcement, and expanding the release of sterile flies to prevent the spread of the pest.

Source: G1