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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Melody Schreiber

Experts warn of ways screwworm could spread in the US and new difficulties in keeping it at bay

Cattle behind a wire fence.
The endemic presence of the new world screwworm in wildlife in Central America and the illegal cattle industry have helped the spread of the parasite. Photograph: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

When conservationists set up cameras in remote regions of Central American forests, they wanted to monitor illegal cattle movement, which can lead to deforestation. But in recent months, they discovered another alarming development: wildlife rapidly infected with the new world screwworm.

It’s a warning sign of how the fly could spread in the US – and it signals new difficulties in pushing it back south, a process that will probably take years, experts say.

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