A second case of the flesh-eating screwworm parasite was confirmed in Texas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday, emerging just miles from where the first U.S. detection in decades was reported this week. The new case in Zavala County was detected on a ranch 5.6 miles (9 km) from the first positive case of screwworm in Texas, which the USDA confirmed on Wednesday.
Screwworms are parasitic flies that deposit eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals. After hatching, the larvae penetrate living tissue, feeding on the host and potentially causing fatal damage if not treated.
