CDC Responds To Multiple Health Threats As Parasite Cases Surge Across U.S.

The USDA confirmed larvae were found in the umbilical area of a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas.

Additional detections have since been reported in cattle, goats, sheep and at least one dog in Texas and New Mexico.

The New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax, lays eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals.

After hatching, the larvae burrow into living tissue and feed on flesh, causing painful infestations known as myiasis.

If left untreated, the infestation can kill livestock, pets and wildlife and, in rare instances, infect humans.