The Department of Agriculture confirmed on Wednesday that the New World screwworm fly has been detected in Texas, marking the first time the parasite has threatened America’s cattle industry since 1966. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the flesh-eating larvae was detected in a calf in Zavala County, Texas, roughly 50 miles from the Mexican border, adding that her department is “taking immediate action” to mitigate the spread.
A 12-mile quarantine zone has been established, barring any warm-blooded animal, including pets, from entering from outside the perimeter. Rollins said there have been no other detections and that the larvae do not pose a threat to the food supply, emphasizing the detection has been contained.
“Our food supply is 100% safe. This potential New World Screworm detection is being fully contained and is not a harm to the American food supply or consumer safety,” Rollins said in a statement posted to X.
Rollins added that additional resources have been sent to the farm in La Pryor, Texas, to provide support in containing the fly, telling producers to be “vigilant and watchful.”
Screwworms pose a serious threat to the cattle industry, as well as other animals, because the fly’s 10- to 30-day lifespan gives way for an infestation to spread quickly throughout a herd. Screwworms lay eggs in warm-blooded animals’ open wounds and orifices, which then hatch into parasitic maggots that feed on the animals’ tissue.
