Texas A&M researchers are studying the genetics of New World screwworm, a parasitic fly, to learn where it comes from, how it changes and whether it could become resistant to control drugs. A team led by scientists at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, working with Texas A&M AgriLife and animal health experts in Honduras, received about $4 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's New World Screwworm Grand Challenge. The two-year project will use samples from the ongoing Honduras outbreak.
The larvae of the fly infest wounds and feed on living tissue of warm-blooded animals. Without prompt treatment, infestations can be fatal. Cattle are among the most affected species, but the parasite can also infest horses, sheep, goats, pigs, pets, wildlife and humans. Dr. Guilherme Verocai, an associate professor and director of the Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory, said the parasite "doesn't discriminate."
The researchers said the project will study thousands of individual screwworms and is expected to be the most comprehensive genomic analysis of the parasite to date. The parasite was eradicated from the U.S. through an effort that began in the 1950s. Cases began rising again in Panama in 2021 and 2022, and the parasite reached the U.S. in June 2026, according to the university.