Somewhere in the dry scrubland of Pecos County, Texas, a hunter's elk became the place where an old and unwelcome traveler from the south first stepped onto American wildlife. The New World screwworm, a fly whose larvae have long troubled livestock across Latitudes far below the border, had until now been a problem of farms and cattle. Its arrival in a wild animal marks a shift in how the country must think about an enemy that moves through living bodies and across fences. Officials are now redrawing the boundaries of their response, accepting that the map they made earlier no longer fits the
New World Screwworm Detected in U.S. Wildlife for First Time, in Texas Elk
The first case of screwworm in U.S. wildlife was found after a hunter's harvest
Mark
Why is an elk in Pecos County such a big deal?
Mimi
Because it's the first time the screwworm has turned up in U.S. wildlife. Before this, the Texas case was a 3-week-old calf, confirmed in June.
Mark
So it moved from livestock to wild animals?
Luke
Careful. The reporting shows two detections, a calf and an elk. It doesn't say one led to the other or how the elk was infested. That's unknown.
Mimi
Fair. What we know is where it was found: a game ranch, after a hunter harvested the animal.
Mark
What are officials doing about it?
Mimi
The USDA and Texas Parks and Wildlife are stepping up surveillance in the area, and the Texas Animal Health Commission will change an infested zone it set up earlier.
Luke
Worth noting we aren't told how big the new zone will be, or how many animals will be checked.
Mark
What should hunters look for?
Mimi
Maggots in wounds, foul-smelling injuries, weak or distressed animals, and wounds that are open or growing, especially around the nose, mouth, ears, eyes or genitals.
Mark
Is the meat safe?
Luke
The USDA says the parasite doesn't affect food safety, though it can affect meat production. That's the agency's statement, and the source doesn't elaborate on it.
O Pulso
- A single elk taken by a hunter on a Texas game ranch has tested positive, and the first wildlife case in the United States has changed the picture overnight.
- The parasite, which lays eggs in open wounds, threatens to spread from livestock into the wild herds and hunting grounds that people depend on.
- Federal and state teams are fanning out with expanded surveillance while the Texas Animal Health Commission prepares to redraw its infested zone.
- Hunters are being asked to watch for maggots, foul-smelling wounds and weakened animals, and to report anything suspicious without delay.
Somewhere in the dry scrubland of Pecos County, Texas, a hunter's elk became the place where an old and unwelcome traveler from the south first stepped onto American wildlife. The New World screwworm, a fly whose larvae have long troubled livestock across Latitudes far below the border, had until now been a problem of farms and cattle. Its arrival in a wild animal marks a shift in how the country must think about an enemy that moves through living bodies and across fences. Officials are now redrawing the boundaries of their response, accepting that the map they made earlier no longer fits the world as it is.
A hunter in Pecos County, Texas, harvested an elk on a game ranch, and the animal was found to be carrying the New World screwworm. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday that it was the first detection of the parasite in wildlife anywhere in the country. Until now the threat had been confined to livestock, and in June a three-week-old calf in Texas tested positive.
The response is already moving. The USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are expanding surveillance in the surrounding area, and the Texas Animal Health Commission will revise an infested zone it set up earlier. That change signals that the boundaries drawn around the problem no longer match what officials now understand.
The parasite is a fly that lays eggs in open wounds or body openings of warm-blooded animals. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on living tissue. The USDA says it does not affect food safety but can hurt meat production. Officials have asked hunters to watch for maggots in wounds, foul-smelling injuries, and weak or distressed animals, and to report anything suspicious right away. The coming weeks will show what the added surveillance finds, and hunters in the area are the first line of reporting.
A hunter harvested an elk on a game ranch in Pecos County, Texas, and the animal turned out to be carrying the New World screwworm. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the finding on Wednesday, calling it the first detection of the parasite in wildlife anywhere in the United States.
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said the case was reported after the elk was taken by the hunter. The source does not say when the animal was harvested or how the infestation was identified, and it gives no detail on the elk's condition.
The response is already under way. The USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are carrying out additional wildlife surveillance in the surrounding area. The Texas Animal Health Commission, for its part, will modify an infested zone that had been established earlier, a sign that the boundaries drawn around the problem no longer match what officials now know.
The parasite itself is a fly. It lays eggs in open wounds or body openings of warm-blooded animals, a group that includes livestock and, in rare cases, people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, once the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on living tissue. The USDA says the screwworm does not affect food safety, but it can affect meat production.
Officials have asked hunters to watch for particular signs. These include visible maggots in wounds, injuries that smell foul, and animals that look weak or distressed. Other warning signs are open or enlarging wounds, and infestations around an animal's nose, mouth, ears, eyes or genital areas. Anyone who sees something suspicious is urged to report it immediately.
The elk is not the first Texas animal to test positive. In June, the USDA confirmed the parasite in a 3-week-old calf in the state. That was a livestock case; the elk is the first in wild animals.
The screwworm is typically found in South America and parts of the Caribbean, but in recent years it has moved north through Central America and into Mexico. The United States has also recorded a human case, the first in the country. The patient recovered, and officials found no evidence of further transmission.
What to watch now is the result of the added surveillance around Pecos County, and the revised infested zone the Texas Animal Health Commission will set. Hunters in the area are the first line of reporting.
Citações Notáveis
The USDA says New World screwworm does not affect food safety, though it can affect meat production.— U.S. Department of Agriculture
Hunters should watch for maggots in wounds, foul-smelling injuries and weak or distressed animals, and report anything suspicious immediately.— Officials, as reported by CBS News
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