Staff Reports
New World screwworm is a species of parasitic fly that feeds on live tissue and can cause myiasis, which is an infestation of larvae, or maggots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
They can infest many types of animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife and, in rare instances, humans.
A female NWS will find a living host and land in an open wound—even as small as a tick bite — around the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. The fly will lay between 200 and 300 eggs, according to the CDC. After the eggs hatch, the maggots burrow further into the tissue and cause painful infestations.
NWS is not typically found in the U.S. and is present in countries in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.
NWS infection can cause several symptoms including skin lesions that don’t heal or worsen over time, painful wounds or sores, bleeding from open sores, feeling or seeing maggots in wounds or a bad odor from the site of the infestation.
There is currently no drug-only cure for NWS infestation. If someone believes they may be infested—or sees and feels maggots in a wound or anywhere else in the body—they should contact a health care provider immediately.
A physician will have to remove the maggots, which may require surgery. The CDC said patients shouldn’t try to remove or dispose of the maggots themselves.
The CDC warns not to throw live maggots in the trash or outside because it could lead to NWS spreading in the area.
