Flesh-eating parasite that eats tissue from the within out spreads to new animal
The New World screwworm infection in Texas has stepped up a notch after a horse was found infected in Presidio County, with officials now scrambling to contain the disease
The flesh-eating beast has infected a horse in Texas (Image: AP)
A flesh-eating parasite is “tearing through the US” with a horse in southern Texas becoming the first documented equine in the country to be infected with the disease.
Officials are now scrambling to contain the New World screwworm after the pest turned up on the hind limb of a working horse in Presidio County. The screwworm – a fly larva that burrows into open wounds and feeds on flesh – was eradicated from the country decades ago but resurfaced in June earlier this year.
The grim flies trigger a gruesome process by hatching hundreds of larvae directly into open wounds. Hours after getting laid, the maggots hatch and start eating the host’s living tissue from the inside out.
An adult New World screwworm fly (Image: U.S. Department of Agriculture v)
After one of the screwworms was found in a calf near the border, an infestation has spread throughout Mexico.
A spokesperson for the US Equestrian Foundation wrote: “Check horses daily, keep wounds clean and covered as directed by your veterinarian, use veterinarian-recommended fly control products and limit fly access with physical barriers such as fly masks, sheets and clean stabling practices when appropriate.”
There is now a restricted animal movement out of infested zones, enacted by the Texas Animal Health Commission – out of 49 US cases this year all but one have been from the Lone Star State.
In June Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a ‘disaster’, with the Trump administration opening a sterile fly dispersal facility in Edinburg to help fight the outbreak. If female screwworm flies mate with a sterile fly, their offspring won’t be viable and will curb the population.
A fly was found in a calf in June, after the disease was thought to have been eradicated (stock)(Image: AP)
The parasite is already wreaking havoc on humans in Central America and Mexico, with thousands of cases reported by authorities.
The flesh-eating crisis was sparked last year in southern Mexico directly along migrant caravan routes used to cross into the US.
The US previously wiped out the pest in 1982 using a sci-fi style biological weapon that sterilised male flies with radiation. Before it was eradicated, the devastating parasite cost the US livestock industry a staggering equivalent of $1.8 billion in today’s money.
Warning signs of an infestation include painful sores that won’t heal, foul odours and the horrific sensation of maggots moving inside wounds. To stay safe, experts advise keeping cuts covered, wearing long sleeves, using heavy-duty bug spray and sleeping behind protective screens.
