A flesh-eating fly is advancing towards the US border – can it be stopped?

The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) has now reached a Mexican state that borders on Texas. Judy Gallagher, CC BY

A flesh eating parasitic fly has spread north through Mexico to within a few hundred miles of the US southern border.

The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) lays its eggs in open wounds and in the orifices of live, warm-blooded animals – including, occasionally, humans. The maggots then devour the animal’s flesh, causing devastating lesions that can quickly kill the infested host.