Alarm as once-eradicated flesh-eating parasite found in calf in Texas

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USDA confirms first case of New World screwworm in cattle in six decades, posing threat to livestock industry

A flesh-eating parasite rarely seen in the US in six decades has been found in a calf in Texas, agriculture officials said, in an alarming development for the country’s cattle industry.

The New World screwworm fly (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm">NWS) was confirmed in the animal in the south of the state, about 50 miles from the Mexico border, Brooke Rollins, the agriculture secretary, said late on Wednesday.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/new-world-screwworm-texas-cattle-industry">Continue reading...

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