The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Monday confirmed three additional cases of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that infests warm-blooded animals. Two cases were reported in Texas and one in New Mexico, according to the agency's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Details of the New Cases
The two Texas cases involved a calf in La Salle County and a goat in Gillespie County. Meanwhile, a fifth case initially reported in a dog in Andrews County, Texas, was reclassified as the first case detected in New Mexico. The veterinarian who reported the case is based in Texas, but the dog resides in Lea County, New Mexico, which borders Texas.
"This situation is evolving, and we expect new information to emerge as our investigation continues," said Dudley Hoskins, USDA under-secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, in a press release.
Response Escalation
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday that the state's emergency operations center had escalated its response level, deploying more resources to combat the spread of New World screwworm. The parasite poses a serious threat to livestock, pets, wildlife, and rarely humans, as larvae burrow into living tissue, causing severe wounds and economic losses.
Background and Concerns
The second case of screwworm in Texas was confirmed by the USDA on Friday, just miles from the first U.S. detection in decades reported days earlier. Reuters reported in May 2025 that hundreds of veterinarians, support staff, and lab workers at APHIS had left after the Trump administration pushed for resignations, reducing the number of specialists available to respond to animal disease outbreaks.
A widespread resurgence of New World screwworm now significantly threatens the economy of Texas, a dominant cattle-producing state, through animal deaths and higher labor and treatment costs. The U.S.-Mexico border has been closed to live cattle imports for over a year as the disease moved north, causing the $100 billion U.S. beef industry to contract to a 75-year low.
