Reported cases of New World screwworm are rising in the U.S., with about 36 new cases detected last month and two dozen more since the start of November. The increase was described as a sign that efforts to track the parasite are working.
Deer season opens Saturday, November 7, giving officials a rare chance to study infections in wildlife. Infections in wildlife are hard to track outside hunting season. During the last major outbreak in Texas, in the 1950s and 1960s, about half of the state's white-tailed deer population died. No infections in deer have been reported so far. Deer may be more prone to infection during rutting season, when they fight and shed their antlers, and newborn fawns are also vulnerable.
Hunters who suspect a deer is infected are asked to report it to Texas Parks and Wildlife by calling 512-389-4505 or contacting a county biologist.
The main tool against the pest is releasing sterilized flies so they cannot reproduce. Texas A&M researchers are developing a method that uses electron beams to sterilize flies, which could take seconds. That method has not been peer-reviewed, and the USDA said the technology still needs to be validated.