I'd never head of screwworm before, turns out it's not a worm, this page is pretty decent: https://cr.usembassy.gov/sections-offices/aphis/screwworm-pr...

"A screwworm infestation is caused by larvae of the fly Cochliomyia hominivorax. These larvae can infest wounds of any warm-blooded animal, including human beings. The screwworm fly is about twice the size of a regular house fly and can be distinguished by its greenish-blue color and its large reddish-orange eyes.

Infestations can occur in any open wound, including cuts, castration wounds, navels of newborn animals, and tick bites. The wounds often contain a dark, foul-smelling discharge. Screwworm larvae distinguish themselves from other species by feeding only on the living flesh, never dead tissue. Once a wound is infested, the screwworm can eventually kill the animal or human, literally eating it alive." - Sounds great.

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guerrilla 6 days ago | parent | next [-]

> Screwworm larvae distinguish themselves from other species by feeding only on the living flesh, never dead tissue.

What assholes. :(

	▲	lazide 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		Yeah the switch on these guys was definitely flipped to ‘evil’

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mc32 6 days ago | parent | prev [-]

The key to managing this pest [edit: after it breaches the isthmus program] is through active monitoring, treating infested wounds as well as conducting castration and dehorning in less active months. It’s not like cattle herds didn’t exist prior to the 1950s.

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tptacek 6 days ago | parent [-]

That's in fact not how screwworms are managed; the "border" of screwworm prevalence was managed by spreading sterilized male screwworms.

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mc32 6 days ago | parent [-]

That’s how we manage them now. I mean before we had that program, we dealt with the pest/infestation that way and we can in the future too if need be to combat what’s getting through. Obviously neutralizing them down in the isthmus is preferred but we’re seeing them come up from Mexico now. So if you have a minor infestation that’s how you treat it to address whatever gets missed by the sterilization program.

It doesn’t render the cattle or meat from the cattle useless. Obviously if affected cattle are untreated they will succumb to the pest.

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tptacek 6 days ago | parent [-]

The whole reason this is newsworthy is that the system we had prior to eradication was not good.

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mc32 6 days ago | parent [-]

Yes, obviously; but it’s not the end of the cattle industry as some make it out to be.

To clarify: it was never eradicated. It’s been actively managed and kept at bay. Now it’s punching through some holes.

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tptacek 6 days ago | parent [-]

Because we stopped doing the thing that works. Your earlier point, that we can just as easily return to herd management strategies, was wrong.

	▲	mc32 6 days ago \| parent [-]
		What did we stop doing? The sterilization program is ongoing. There are always periodic outbreaks in Central America and Mexico. The current one started in 2023. One common vector is illegal cattle trafficking.