US screwworm patient recovered, Maryland says, as ranchers criticize secrecy

By Tom Polansek and Leah Douglas

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The patient with the first human infestation of travel-associated New World screwworm in the United States has recovered from the flesh-eating parasite, and there was no sign of transmission to other people or animals, the Maryland Department of Health said on Monday.

U.S. cattle futures tumbled on concerns the pest will also strike livestock as ranchers criticized a lack of transparency about the case, following exclusive reporting by Reuters.

Screwworms are parasitic flies whose females lay eggs in wounds on any warm-blooded animal. An outbreak could cost the economy in Texas, the biggest U.S. cattle-producing state, about $1.8 billion, according to U.S. estimates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed