Federal agriculture officials said a second New World screwworm case was found in Zavala County within an existing movement control zone, prompting continued sterile fly releases, treatment authorizations and intensified surveillance.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed Friday that a second case of New World screwworm has been detected in Texas, renewing concerns over the flesh-eating parasite that can infect livestock, wildlife and, in rare cases, humans.
The parasite was found in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, about 5.6 miles from the site of the state’s first confirmed case. That earlier case involved a three-week-old calf in South Texas and marked the first confirmed New World screwworm detection in Texas since 1966.
Dudley Hoskins, the USDA’s under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said the department moved quickly after the second detection.
“USDA has responded expediently with respect to this second detection, demonstrating our utmost preparedness,” Hoskins said in a statement.
“This second detection is within the established movement control zone and enhanced sterile insect dispersal area,” Hoskins added.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the case after testing multiple suspected samples. The agency said additional samples collected around the affected calf all came back negative.
New World screwworms are parasitic flies whose larvae burrow into the living tissue of animals. Infestations can cause severe wounds and may be fatal if untreated. The parasite can affect cattle, horses, swine, goats, wildlife, captive exotic animals and other warm-blooded animals.
According to USDA guidance, signs of infestation can include irritated behavior, head shaking, a decaying odor and visible maggots, or fly larvae, in wounds.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins previously told lawmakers the department believed the Texas case could be contained and emphasized that screwworm does not pose a food safety threat.
“If we all work together and follow these treatment and movement restriction guidelines, there is no reason to believe that this incursion will result in any sort of establishment of the pest on our side of the border,” Rollins told reporters during a June 4 call.
Federal officials are using sterile insect releases to stop the parasite from spreading. The USDA said it has deployed mobile response trailers and is releasing sterile screwworm flies across the affected area. The effort includes aerial releases of 2 million sterile screwworms twice a week and ground releases of 4 million sterile flies per week in and around the Texas detection zone.
The USDA has also issued emergency use authorizations for several treatments for cattle, horses, swine, goats, captive exotic animals and wildlife.
“Movement control zones are in place, surveillance is intensified, and treatment supplies are available through @TAHC [Texas Animal Health Commission],” the USDA said in a June 5 post.
“We have defeated this pest before, and we will do it again. America’s livestock producers have USDA’s FULL support.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration June 5 for Zavala and Uvalde counties, authorizing the use of all available state resources to fight the screwworm outbreak.
Abbott also ordered state personnel, including staff from Texas university systems, to assist with efforts to speed the shipment of sterile flies into Texas and accelerate construction of a sterile fly production facility in Edinburg.
The United States eradicated screwworms in the 1960s through a sterile insect program. Researchers released large numbers of sterilized male screwworm flies, which mated with wild female flies and produced infertile eggs, gradually eliminating the pest from the country.
Federal and state officials are now working to prevent the parasite from becoming established again in Texas. The latest detection remains inside the established control zone, and officials said surveillance, treatment access and sterile fly releases are continuing.
Original article
Comments