A flesh-eating parasite known as the New World screwworm was detected in a Mexican goat just 25 miles south of the U.S. border with Texas.
The parasite infested a 5-year-old goat in Mexico’s Coahuila state, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters during a call on Tuesday. It marks the closest confirmed detection to the United States during the current outbreak.
“There’s no doubt that this is a very, very serious threat to our livestock,” Rollins said.
USDA officials said the fly lays eggs in the open wounds of warm-blooded animals. Larvae then burrow into living flesh, often killing the host if untreated. …