Third World, Flesh-Eating Parasite Confirmed in US, Arrived from Central America in Human Host

Even the name is grisly — but the behavior is even worse.

The parasite known as the New World screwworm, a type of fly larva that feeds on living flesh and can be fatal to its victims, has been confirmed as infecting a human in the United States, according to Reuters.

While human infections are vanishingly rare, the discovery has the nation’s beef industry on edge.

First human screwworm case linked to travel confirmed in U.S., HHS says https://t.co/CcMYRftQor

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 25, 2025

As the Associated Press reported, screwworms are a species of fly with females that seek out orifices of living mammals to lay their eggs — such as the eyes, nose, mouth, or bleeding open wounds.

When

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