What is New World screwworm, the flesh-eating pest detected in Texas?

It’s the latest creepy crawler sparking alarm across America.The US Department of Agriculture confirmed this week that the New World screwworm (NWS) was detected in a 3-week-old calf in Texas’ Zala County, with maggots clustered around its umbilical area.The finding marks the first time the flesh-eating insect — which primarily targets livestock but can also infect humans — has been found in US cattle since it was eradicated nationwide in the 1960s.A second case was confirmed Tuesday in Mexico’s Coahuila State, roughly 25 miles south of the Texas border, Reuters reported.The latest detections come after years of the flesh-eating pest creeping north from Central and South America, fueling fears it could once again gain a foothold in the US.So what do the latest infestations mean for Americans — and how serious is the threat? Here’s everything you need to know.They’re parasitic flies attracted to wounds and body openings, including the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and genitals.“Wounds as small as a tick bite may attract a female fly to feed and lay her eggs,” Dr.

Casey Locklear, parasiticide lead and US Medical Strategic Lead at Elanco Animal Health, and a practicing veterinarian based in Texas, told The Post.“A single female can lay 200 to 300 eggs at a time and may lay up to 1,000 eggs during her 10 to to 30-day lifespan,” she said.The real danger begins when those eggs hatch.“Unlike most fly species whose larvae feed on dead and decaying tissue, NWS larvae feed on living animals, causing severe tissue damage and even death if left untreated,” Locklear said.The pest gets its name from the way the maggots burrow into living flesh in a spiral pattern — like a screw drilling into wood.After feeding for about seven days, the larvae drop to the ground and burrow into the soil.

They later emerge as adults that are roughly the size of a housefly, with orange eyes, metallic blue-green bodies and three dark stripes running down their backs.Most inf...