NEW YORK, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. health authorities have confirmed a human case of flesh-eating screw-worm parasite in the country, local media reported Sunday.
The case was identified in a person in the state of Maryland, who had traveled to the United States from El Salvador, the report quoted government officials as saying.
Also known as New World Screwworm, NWS, or Cochliomyia hominivorax, the parasite eats cattle and other warm-blooded animals alive, and can be devastating to many species. It primarily affects livestock but can also infest birds and people.
A confirmed screwworm case would likely rattle the U.S. beef and cattle futures market, local media said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, screwworms have been traveling north through Mexico from Central America since 2023. The NWS is endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and countries in South America. ■
