A recent screwworm sighting in Mexico has Texas officials warning ranchers to monitor their cattle for the dangerous parasite that was eradicated in the U.S. decades ago.
Texas wildlife officials are warning the state’s cattle industry to be on the lookout for a flesh-eating parasite that can be deadly for animals.
The New World screwworm fly was eradicated in the US in the mid-1960s, but a new sighting in southern Mexico has authorities in Texas on alert for a little insect that can do a lot of damage. The screwworm is a parasite that can spread by flies into open wounds on animals like deer or cattle.
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WATCH HERE“Screwworms, if a cow has it and you’re within 100 feet of it, you know it,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. “Because it’s basically rotting flesh, it’s maggots.”
According to the USDA, "The name screwworm refers to the maggots' feeding behavior as they burrow (screw) into the wound, feeding as they go like a screw being driven into wood. Maggots cause extensive damage by tearing at the hosts’ tissue with sharp mouth hooks. The wound can become larger and deepen as more maggots hatch and feed on living tissue. As a result, NWS can cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal."
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SIGN UP The USDA said adult screwworm flies "are about the size of a common housefly. They have orange eyes, a metallic blue or green body, and three dark stripes along their backs."
In response, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division warned ranchers to monitor their animals for any sign of the parasite.
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Chris Farley works on a ranch in Bosque County. He told NBC 5 that stories of what screwworms used to do to Texas herds were almost legendary.
“It’ll just start eating the flesh and it just reproduces, and it’ll eventually kill the animal,” said Farley.
The USDA said that, in rare cases, screwworms have even been known to infect people.
After the most recent screwworm sighting, the agency temporarily shut down cattle imports from Mexico to the United States. Miller told NBC 5 he believed that move was overkill and could drive up the cost of beef, which was already at an all-time high.
“When cattle come into Texas, they get to the border and they go to quarantine pens for a period of time,” said Miller, of existing safety procedures. “United States veterinarians inspect them all, they make sure they don’t have any disease or anything.”
Still, knowing what screwworms can do, some Texas ranchers said they planned to stay vigilant and keep the tiny terror from infecting their herds.
“I feel confident that it wouldn’t, but if it did, it would change this world completely,” said Farley.
Anyone can report a sighting of the NWS to the state by calling the Texas Animal Health Commission or the USDA.
