New World Screwworm

New World Screwworm Latest News

Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services reported the first human case of the flesh-eating parasite, the New World screwworm, in the United States. 

About New World Screwworm

• Screwworms are a type of blue-grey blowfly, typically found in South America and the Caribbean.
• The parasites are named after the screwlike way they burrow into the tissue.
• Screwworms — specifically females — are attracted to and lay eggs on and in open wounds or another entry point like a nasal cavity in warm-blooded animals and, rarely, humans.
• One female can lay up to 300 eggs at a time and may lay up to 3,000 eggs during her 10- to 30-day lifespan.
• These eggs hatch into larvae (known as maggots), which burrow into the wound using their sharp mouth hooks to feed on the living flesh, leading to infestation.
• After feeding, the larvae fall into the ground, burrow into the soil and emerge as adult screwworm flies.

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What are the Symptoms of Infestation?

• Its infestations can be extremely painful, especially in humans, with a high mortality rate if left untreated.
• Symptoms of infestation include: wounds or sores that do not heal; bleeding from open sores; feeling larvae movement within a skin wound or sore; and a foul-smelling odour from the site of the infestation.

Source: IE