The U.S. and Mexico have taken a major step in the battle against New World screwworm, opening a facility to produce sterile flies that authorities believe is the best method for stopping the flesh-eating parasite from spreading through cattle herds.

Local Impact

The production facility in Metapa, near Mexico’s southern border, is expected to produce up to 100 million sterile flies a week, becoming only the second such plant in the Americas. This move is crucial for Texas, where the first infections in U.S. livestock in roughly half a century were confirmed earlier this month.

The U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins stated, ‘Our countries have beaten this before. We will beat the New World screwworm again, sooner than anyone would have thought.’ The U.S. Ambassador Ronald Johnson pledged an additional $84 million to stop the screwworm’s spread, warning that a major outbreak could cost the U.S. agriculture sector more than $700 million each year.

Combating the Threat

The Metapa plant will sterilize screwworm pupae with radiation, and the sterilized flies are then released to mate with wild insects. Since females typically mate only once in their life cycle, the sterile males prevent new flies from being born. The strategy is believed to be America’s best weapon against the deadly parasite, proving effective in the previous outbreak.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.