Wildlife officials in Texas are on the lookout for flesh-eating fly larvae known as “maneaters” after an outbreak of the nasty pest was recorded in Mexico.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department issued a statement urging hunters and outdoor enthusiasts in South Texas to be on the lookout for the New World screwworm fly. New World screwworm fly larvae are known to enter wounds and body cavities and eat their victims alive.
It attaches to the flesh of the host animal. CDC
The warning was issued after cattle were found to be infested with flesh-eared maggot larvae at a checkpoint in Mexico’s Chiapas state, near Guatemala.
Texas officials say this is part of a trend in detected cases moving further north.
“The people who enjoy Texas’ natural resources have the opportunity to serve as the first line of defense for the health of wildlife, livestock, and humans,” TPWD wildlife veterinarian Dr. J. Hunter said in the release. said. “Their eyes and ears will be critical to quickly responding to and managing this threat.”
The king fly, whose Latin name hominivorax means “man-eater,” lays its eggs in open wounds or holes in living tissue, such as the nostrils.
The maggots then hatch and feed on the host organism’s flesh.
Flesh-eating screwworms primarily target livestock, but birds, deer, and humans can also be infected.
The fly was eradicated from the United States in 1966, and eradication efforts continue in Central America, the statement said.
This pest is widespread in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and South American countries.
Clinical signs of a fly infection include irritable or depressed behavior, head shaking, the smell of rotting meat, isolation from other animals or people, and even the presence of fly larvae in the wound. It will be done.
