USDA reports first New World screwworm detection in US wildlife, in Texas elk
An elk harvested on a Pecos County game ranch prompted additional wildlife surveillance and a planned change to an existing infested zone.
The US Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday, 21 October, that New World screwworm had been detected in an elk on a game ranch in Pecos County, Texas — the first reported case in US wildlife. The finding prompted additional surveillance as officials seek to track a parasite that can damage living tissue in animals.
A hunter reported the elk after harvesting it, according to the USDA account reported by CBS News and The Guardian. The USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are conducting further wildlife surveillance in the area. The Texas Animal Health Commission will modify a previously established infested zone; neither report gave the zone's revised boundaries.
What hunters should watch for in Texas
Texas wildlife division director Alan Cain urged hunters and landowners to remain alert while in the field this season, The Guardian reported. CBS News said officials advised people to report suspected infestations immediately. Warning signs include visible maggots, foul-smelling or enlarging wounds, and animals that appear weak or distressed. Infestations can also occur around the nose, mouth, ears, eyes or genital area.
New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays eggs in open wounds or body openings of warm-blooded animals. Its larvae then feed on living tissue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention description cited by CBS News. Livestock can be affected, and human infections are rare. The USDA says the parasite does not affect food safety, although it can affect meat production, CBS reported.
Earlier Texas cases and the cattle trade
The wildlife finding follows a screwworm detection in a Texas calf in June. The Guardian placed that case in Zavala County, near the US-Mexico border, and reported other US detections this year, including in a horse and a dog. The elk case is described as the first in wildlife, rather than the first US case in any animal.
The Guardian reported that the pest, eradicated from the US decades ago, has spread north through Central America and Mexico. The US halted livestock imports from Mexico last year over screwworm concerns, then resumed trade at an Arizona port in August as part of a phased reopening. The Guardian said the import halt tightened US cattle supplies and contributed to record-high beef prices. The new wildlife surveillance and planned zone change are the immediate responses officials have described to the elk detection.
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Sources and context
- First case of New World screwworm in U.S. wildlife confirmed in Texas elk, USDA saysCBS News
- Officials confirm flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite found in US wildlifeThe Guardian; Guardian staff and agency, with Reuters photo credit
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.