Screwworm Confirmed in Texas Elk and New Mexico Cow

The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed New World screwworm in an elk harvested by a hunter on a game ranch in Pecos County, Texas, marking the first detection of the parasite in U.S. wildlife, the agency said. New Mexico officials also confirmed a case in a beef cow in Otero County, bringing two animal detections in the reports as authorities expanded surveillance and movement controls. The USDA said the Texas elk was reported after it was harvested and inspected. The Texas Animal Health Commission plans to modify a previously established infested zone, while the USDA and Texas Parks and Wildlife are conducting additional wildlife surveillance in the area. The USDA described the finding as the first detection in U.S. wildlife; a screwworm case had previously been confirmed in a Texas calf in June. In New Mexico, officials established a 12.4-mile infested zone around the location of the affected cow. Animals in the zone must be inspected and treated if needed before they move within or out of it, according to state authorities. State and federal officials are also expanding surveillance and fly trapping around affected locations to search for additional cases and assess...