South American Cattle Industry Under Screwworm Threat

As the New World Screwworm continues to threaten the cattle industry in South America, producers here in the U.S. should take steps to safeguard their operations. Dr. Kathy Simmons is the Chief Veterinarian for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. She tells NCBA's Beltway Beef Podcast that producers should first know what to look for...

“Untreated infestation of this larvae from the screw worms feeding on living tissue can result in death due to secondary infection, inflammation if untreated. So the key is to observe whether or not there are signs of New World Screwworm. In the first 1-2 days, that can sometimes be difficult. But these animals will show signs of discomfort, decreased appetite, they’ll isolate from the herd, there will usually be a draining wound with evidence maybe of fly strike at the area or the eggs. The big thing is the stench or smell of decaying body tissue and they even have trained dogs in Mexico to detect the stench of New World Screwworm as part of their mitigation measures going through cattle that they are checking. Certainly the visible signs of maggots can be seen some times and decaying body tissue.”

She stresses that the disease is not in the U.S., but observation is still key.