USDA Funds Arizona Facility to Combat New World Screwworm The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a parasitic fly that infests the wounds and carcasses of warm blooded animals, causing significant economic losses in livestock industries worldwide.
First identified in Central America in the 1930s, this disease has since spread to become a major concern for countries in North, South, and Central America, as well as the Caribbean.
The history of the New World screwworm in the US dates back to the 1950s, when it was first detected in southern Texas.