WASHINGTON (WDCW) – Maryland has reported the nation’s first human case of the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that has already caused significant issues for cattle and increased beef prices, as per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Reuters initially reported the news, which was then confirmed by Nexstar. An HHS spokesperson stated that the patient had recently traveled back from El Salvador. The diagnosis, investigated by the Maryland Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was confirmed in early August.
“This is the first identified human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis (parasitic infestation of fly larvae) from a country affected by an outbreak in the United States,” the HHS statement provided to Nexstar noted. “Currently, the risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low.”
Maryland health officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Nexstar’s WDCW.
According to the CDC, New World screwworm (NWS) infestation happens when NWS fly larvae (Cochliomyia hominivorax) invade the tissue or flesh of warm-blooded animals. People can become infested in regions where these flies are present.
The CDC describes screwworm flies as preferring to lay their eggs in open wounds on their hosts. Infestations are painful and can lead to various symptoms in humans, as stated by the agency:
- Unexplained wounds or sores that aren’t healing
- Maggots around or in open wounds, or in your nose, eyes, or mouth
- Wounds or sores on your skin that worsen and/or are painful
- Open sores that are bleeding
- Foul-smelling odor from the infestation site
Those with open sores may be more susceptible to an infestation, particularly if they have a weakened immune system or any medical condition that can cause bleeding or open sores.
NWS is not commonly found in the U.S. but rather in South America and the Caribbean. The CDC notes that people who travel to these areas, spend time among livestock animals, sleep outdoors, and have an open wound are at greater risk of becoming infested.
Earlier this summer, cattle from Mexico were barred from entering the U.S. over fears of spreading the flesh-eating parasite. Last week, HHS granted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permission to issue Emergency Use Authorizations for drugs used to treat or prevent New World screwworm infestations in animals.
The pest was a problem for the American cattle industry for decades until the U.S. largely eradicated it in the 1970s by breeding and releasing sterile male flies to breed with wild females. It shut down fly factories on U.S. soil afterward.
The U.S. also plans to build a $750 million factory in southern Texas to breed billions of sterile New World screwworm flies, ramping up its efforts to keep the flesh-eating maggots in Mexico from crossing the border and damaging the American cattle industry.
Secretary Brooke Rollins announced earlier this month that the U.S. Department of Agriculture hopes to be producing and releasing sterile male New World screwworm flies into the wild within a year from the new factory on Moore Air Base outside Edinburg, Texas, about 20 miles from the border. She also said the USDA plans to deploy $100 million in technology, such as fly traps and lures, and step up border patrols by “tick riders” mounted on horseback and train dogs to sniff out the parasite.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
