USDA confirms two new screwworm cases in Texas and New Mexico, raising cattle industry concerns
By
Jeffrey Collins
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
The USDA confirmed two new cases of New World screwworm, including one in New Mexico outside the main Texas cluster, highlighting the challenge of containing this flesh-eating pest. The screwworm is a fly larva that feeds on live flesh of warm-blooded animals through open wounds. Before its eradication in the 1960s, it was an annual scourge for cattle ranchers. The new cases were found in a dog from New Mexico and a calf in Texas, hundreds of miles apart, raising concerns about potential devastation to the nation's cattle industry.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledTwo more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed, including one outside the main cluster in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping a pest that could potentially devastate the nation's cattle industry.
The screwworm is actually a fly, which produces a larva that eats live flesh instead of dead material.
Before it was irradicated in the 1960s, the fly was an annual warm-weather scourge of cattle ranchers.
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