A team of researchers at Texas A&M University has received approximately $4 million in funding to study the genetics of the New World screwworm. The two-year project, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New World Screwworm Grand Challenge, aims to develop new tools for tracking and controlling the parasite.
Dr. Guilherme Verocai, an associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is leading the initiative. The project involves collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife and animal health experts in Honduras. Researchers will use samples collected from the ongoing outbreak in Honduras to examine how screwworm populations spread, change, and respond to treatments.
The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae infest wounds and feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. While cattle are among the most affected species, the parasite can also infest horses, sheep, goats, pigs, pets, wildlife, and humans. Verocai noted that the parasite does not discriminate, stating it will infest pretty much any living warm-blooded animal.
The project will combine expertise in parasitology and genomics to study thousands of individual screwworms. Researchers expect this to be the most comprehensive genomic analysis of the parasite to date. The team will analyze data regarding when and where samples were collected, which species they infested, and how the animals were treated when available.
The New World screwworm was previously eradicated from the United States through a decades-long effort that began in the 1950s. That effort pushed populations south through Mexico and Central America to a biological barrier in Panama. However, cases began increasing again in Panama in 2021 and 2022. The outbreak subsequently moved north through Central America and Mexico before reaching the United States in June 2026.
