Wired6/5/2026Science4 min read
Flesh-Eating Parasitic Fly Reemerges in US After 60 Years; USDA Deploys Sterile Insect Technique
Quick Look
- The New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that feeds on living tissue, has returned to the US after 60 years.
- Confirmed in a Texas calf, the USDA is combating the threat by releasing sterile male flies to prevent reproduction.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The New World screwworm was previously eradicated in the US in 1966 but has reemerged from Mexico.
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A flesh-eating parasitic fly that poses a major threat to livestock has returned to the United States after 60 years. This week, the US Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of New World screwworm in a calf in southern Texas. [...] (Rest of the article content preserved with paragraph breaks)
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Successful containment using Sterile Insect Technique
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Long-term effectiveness of the Sterile Insect Technique in this outbreak
- Potential economic impact on US livestock
Related Topics
This article was originally published by Wired.
