A flesh-eating parasitic fly has been detected in a calf in South Texas, the USDA said Wednesday.
The New World screwworm could cost the economy billions and threaten livestock across the Southwest.
The US eradicated the parasite decades ago using sterile fly releases, but cases have been spreading in Central and South America.
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A case of flesh-eating New World screwworm has been detected in South Texas, the US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday. It is the first time this parasitic fly – whose larvae feed exclusively on the tissue of warm-blooded animals – has been detected in US livestock in decades.
