Flesh-eating screwworms spread to third state and are attacking pets

For a genuine fright this Halloween, you can turn your gaze to the southern border, where ravenous, flesh-eating maggots are festering and have taken to eating people’s pets. This week, the country’s New World Screwworm (NWS) infestation spread to a third state, Arizona, which joins New Mexico and Texas in being plagued by the horrifying parasites.

在这个万圣节，如果你想寻求真正的惊悚，不妨将目光投向南部边境，那里贪婪的食肉蛆虫正在滋生，并开始吞噬人们的宠物。本周，美国的新世界螺旋蝇（NWS）疫情已蔓延至第三个州——亚利桑那州，该州现与新墨西哥州和德克萨斯州一同受到这些恐怖寄生虫的侵扰。

To date, 74 animal cases have been identified in the US since the flies re-invaded the country in June. The flies lay hundreds of eggs in wounds and moist orifices of animals, and the resulting voracious maggots feast on their victims. The maggots resemble screws and tortuously bore and twist into living flesh, causing severe, sometimes fatal wounds, before dropping to the ground to develop into adults.

自今年6月这些蝇类重新入侵美国以来，迄今已确认了74例动物感染病例。这些蝇类会在动物的伤口和潮湿孔窍中产下数百枚卵，孵化出的贪婪蛆虫会以受害者为食。蛆虫形似螺丝，它们会痛苦地钻入并扭动进活体组织，造成严重甚至致命的伤口，随后掉落到地面发育成成虫。

Because of their ability to ravage livestock, the flies were eliminated from the country in the 1960s through aerial releases of sterile male flies, which thwart successful breeding. For years, they were held at bay using a biological barrier along the Darién Gap at the border of Panama and Colombia. But the barrier was breached in 2022, and the flies have made their way back to the US through Central America.

由于这些蝇类具有摧毁牲畜的能力，美国曾在20世纪60年代通过空中投放不育雄蝇的方式将其根除，这种方法阻断了它们的成功繁殖。多年来，通过在巴拿马和哥伦比亚边境的达连地峡设置生物屏障，它们一直被阻挡在外。但该屏障在2022年被突破，这些蝇类经由中美洲重新进入了美国。

While they are largely seen as a threat to the livestock industry, they can also devastate wildlife, domestic pets, and in rarer cases, humans. According to the latest data from Mexico’s Ministry of Health, the country has confirmed 806 cases of human screwworm infestations since the flies reemerged. Nine people died from the savage maggots.

虽然它们主要被视为对畜牧业的威胁，但它们也可能对野生动物、家养宠物，以及在极少数情况下对人类造成毁灭性打击。根据墨西哥卫生部的最新数据，自这些蝇类重新出现以来，该国已确认了806例人类螺旋蝇感染病例。其中有9人死于这些凶残的蛆虫。

In the US, most of the 74 confirmed cases have been in livestock. But some of the cases have been in domestic pets, mainly dogs. Just this week, the US Department of Agriculture recorded four new cases in domestic dogs—which includes the new detection in Arizona—as well as a domestic cat in New Mexico. That brings the pet total to 10 cases since the flies reemerged.

在美国，已确认的74例病例中，大多数发生在牲畜身上。但也有部分病例涉及家养宠物，主要是狗。就在本周，美国农业部记录了4例新的家犬感染病例（包括在亚利桑那州的新发现），以及新墨西哥州的一例家猫感染病例。这使得自蝇类重新出现以来的宠物感染总数达到了10例。

Arizona’s agriculture department said this week that the state’s index case was identified in a dog in Cochise County, which borders both New Mexico and Mexico. A local veterinarian examined the poor pup on October 26 and found a wound on the canine’s back that was “heavily infested with maggots consistent with NWS characteristics.”

亚利桑那州农业部门本周表示，该州的首例病例是在科奇斯县的一只狗身上发现的，该县与新墨西哥州和墨西哥接壤。10月26日，一名当地兽医检查了这只可怜的小狗，发现其背部有一个伤口，“严重感染了符合新世界螺旋蝇特征的蛆虫”。

“We remain prepared and vigilant, and we urge all livestock owners, pet owners, and other animal industry partners to continue to monitor animals closely and report any unusual wounds consistent with NWS immediately,” the state said in an announcement. The USDA confirmed the infection and said it was working closely with Arizona on a joint response to the expanded infestation.

该州在公告中称：“我们保持准备和警惕，并敦促所有牲畜所有者、宠物主人以及其他动物行业合作伙伴继续密切监测动物，并立即报告任何符合新世界螺旋蝇特征的异常伤口。”美国农业部证实了此次感染，并表示正与亚利桑那州密切合作，共同应对此次蔓延的疫情。