WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — The U.S. continues to monitor New World screwworm, with four active cases currently reported across the country.
Texas cattle producers say U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and entomologists remain busy testing samples as officials work to detect and contain the pest.
Ben Weinheimer with the Texas Cattle Feeders Association says researchers continue to receive numerous larval samples at laboratories in Kerrville and Pleasanton, Texas.
”They’re still getting many larvae submissions to the lab in Kerrville, to the mobile lab in Pleasanton, Texas,” Weinheimer explained. “And so those entomologists and scientists, you know, continue to have a pretty heavy workload related to those submissions. Several of those submissions they’re getting, though, are not being confirmed as New World screwworm. That’s good to see.”
USDA has reported 45 total New World screwworm cases in the U.S. since the pest was first detected earlier this summer.
Nearly all of the cases have been reported in Texas, with one case identified in New Mexico involving a domesticated animal.
New World screwworm larvae can infest wounds in livestock and other warm-blooded animals, making early detection and rapid response a key focus for producers and animal health officials.
