The US Department of Agriculture identified the latest infection in a one-month-old calf in Zavala County, about 5.6 miles from the first confirmed case near La Pryor, south Texas. The first calf, about three weeks old, had larvae in the umbilical area, indicating the parasite had entered through a vulnerable wound site. Both findings have placed federal and state officials on an emergency footing in one of the country’s most important cattle-producing regions.
New World screwworm is caused by the larvae of the fly Cochliomyia hominivorax, which lays eggs in wounds or mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals. Once hatched, the larvae feed on living tissue rather than dead matter, causing severe wounds, secondary infection and death if untreated. Cattle, sheep, goats, horses, pets, wildlife and, in rare cases, people can be affected, though officials have said the current Texas detections do not pose a food-safety risk.
The confirmation follows months of concern over the parasite’s northward movement through Central America and Mexico. The United States eradicated New World screwworm from domestic livestock in 1966 after a long sterile-fly campaign, but outbreaks have continued in parts of South America. The pest’s return to Texas has revived fears of a costly livestock emergency at a time when cattle supplies are tight and beef prices remain elevated.
Federal and Texas authorities have established an infested zone around the detection sites, increased trapping, imposed movement controls and begun intensified surveillance of livestock and wildlife. Animal-health teams are checking neighbouring premises and testing suspect samples. Officials have said some additional samples have tested negative, though the two confirmed cases close to each other have raised the urgency of containment work.
The sterile insect technique remains the central tool in the response. It relies on releasing large numbers of sterilised male flies, which mate with wild females but produce no offspring, gradually collapsing the breeding population. The technique helped eliminate the parasite from the United States in the last century and has long been used to maintain a biological barrier in Panama.
US authorities have been dispersing sterile flies in Mexico and along the US-Mexico border, with capacity now under scrutiny as detections have moved closer to American cattle country. A sterile fly dispersal facility in Texas is already operating, while a larger production facility planned for southern Texas is expected to add capacity of up to 300 million sterile flies a week once completed. A facility in Mexico is also part of the broader containment strategy.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state disaster and pressed for faster construction of the planned sterile fly production plant. State officials have warned ranchers to inspect animals daily, treat wounds promptly and report suspicious infestations. The warnings extend beyond cattle because deer, feral hogs and other wildlife can act as hosts, complicating surveillance in rural and brush-heavy terrain.
The economic stakes are substantial. Texas has the largest cattle herd in the United States, and a wider infestation could force quarantines, disrupt animal movements and raise costs for ranchers already facing drought pressure, higher feed costs and herd rebuilding challenges. Livestock futures reacted to the first detection as traders assessed whether the parasite could affect supplies or cross-border trade flows.
The United States has kept restrictions on live cattle imports from Mexico as part of efforts to prevent further spread. Mexico has reported thousands of cases since the outbreak pushed north from Central America, with animal movement, illegal livestock transport and the pest’s reproductive speed all seen as factors that can complicate control.
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