Waking up this morning, you may have seen the news that the US has reported its first human case of travel-associated New World screwworm – and most likely, along with the words “flesh eating parasite”. Those are some scary sounding words, but what exactly is New World screwworm, and how concerned do we really need to be? The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

What is New World screwworm?

New World screwworms (NWS) are the larvae of the New World screwworm fly ( Cochliomyia hominivorax ), dropped off into the wound of a living animal when they were still eggs.

The headlines that mention flesh eating aren’t wrong. After they hatch, the maggots begin burrowing their way deeper into the wound, feeding on the healthy flesh o

See Full Page