A rare case of flesh-eating parasite infection has been confirmed in the United States for the first time in decades. The case involved a woman from Maryland who had recently travelled to Central America, where she is believed to have been exposed to the New World screwworm fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax).
According to CNN, health officials report the patient has fully recovered, and the US Department of Health and Human Services assures the public that the risk of further human transmission is very low. However, the incident has raised concerns about the parasite moving northward, which could eventually threaten US livestock and food security.
Screwworm infections occur when the fly lays eggs in open wounds of warm-blooded animals. The larvae then feed on living flesh, burrowing deeper as they grow. If untreated, the condition can be fatal. According to specialists, the maggots can cause devastating damage in a matter of days, even killing a fully grown cow within a week.
Livestock such as cattle, pigs, and horses are the most common victims, but dogs, cats, and occasionally humans can also be affected. Experts say a large-scale outbreak in cattle-heavy states like Texas could cost an estimated $1.8 billion, as per the news portal.
The US successfully eradicated screwworm flies in the 1950s by releasing sterile insects to break their reproduction cycle, and the last recorded local case was in 1982. Since then, infections in the US have mostly been limited to travellers returning from affected regions.
But in recent years, renewed outbreaks have been reported in parts of Central America, particularly Nicaragua and Costa Rica, where hundreds of human cases have been documented since 2023. Some required emergency surgeries to remove maggots before they could cause fatal brain or organ damage.
Experts warn that international cooperation will be crucial to prevent the parasite from spreading further and threatening both human health and the livestock industry.
