Agricultural inspectors in Florida have stopped a case of the parasitic New World screwworm from entering the U.S., the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced at the start of February.
The screwworm was spotted on an imported horse from Argentina as it went through routine examination entering the U.S. Inspectors were able to keep the “devastating” parasite from spreading anywhere outside the quarantine facility. The New World screwworm primarily impacts livestock animals, but the flies can lay eggs on any warm-blooded animals, including people and pets. The screwworm flies lay their eggs in wounds, noses, ears, eyes or mouths. Those eggs develop into parasitic larvae, or maggots, that feed on the surrounding flesh as they burrow deeper.