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Flesh-eating screwworm detected 25 miles from US border in Mexico, USDA says

By Heather Schlitz Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Mediterranean fly larvae are placed in trays to be fed inside a bio-factory as Mexico's government reconditions a plant to become the new sterile screwworm fly facility, part of the country's effort to eradicate the flesh-eating parasite that threatens its livestock industry and raises tensions with the United States, in Metapa de Dominguez, Mexico, October 17, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Mediterranean fly larvae are placed in trays to be fed inside a bio-factory as Mexico's government reconditions a plant to become the new sterile screwworm fly facility, part of the country's effort to eradicate the flesh-eating parasite that threatens its livestock industry and raises tensions with the United States, in Metapa de Dominguez, Mexico, October 17, 2025. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File Photo Daniel Becerril Reuters

CHICAGO - A parasitic fly that eats warm-blooded animals alive and could cause millions of dollars in economic damage was found in Mexico within 25 miles of the U.S. border, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Heather Schlitz)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 10:30 AM.

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