US confirms 1st human case of flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite

LOS ANGELES — The first human case of flesh-eating New World screwworm in the United States was identified in Maryland in a patient who traveled to El Salvador.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Maryland Department of Health are investigating the case, which was confirmed on Aug. 4.

Federal health officials acknowledged the infection in an emailed statement Monday, but did not describe the patient’s condition. They collaborated with Maryland health officials, the statement said.

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“This is the first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm myiasis (parasitic infestation of fly larvae) from an outbreak-affected country identified in the United States,” Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in an email to CNN.  “Currently, the risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low.”

A spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Health said in a statement that the Maryland resident has recovered from the infection and that “there is no indication of transmission to any other individuals or animals.”

New World screwworm is a fly that lays its eggs in open wounds and body opening such as the eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It primarily affects livestock and is rare in humans. It does not spread from person to person, and poses a very low risk to the public, according to US health officials.

FILE – A New World screwworm larvae sits at rest in this undated photo. (USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP, file)

The parasite has been a larger concern to ranchers, as cattle infestations have been moving northward through Central America and Mexico. The CDC is working with the US Agriculture Department to prevent further spread, officials said.

The pest was a problem for the American cattle industry for decades until the US largely eradicated it in the 1970s. (With AP report)

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