With more than 40,000 cases reported in Central America and Mexico since July 2023, the United States is preparing for a potential outbreak of the New World screwworm fly.

The parasitic blowfly – whose flesh-eating larvae feed on the live tissue of warm-blooded animals – was officially eradicated from the US in 1966, but with a case in September less than 70 miles from the border, alarm bells are ringing.

Texas vet Will McCauley joins Chris Simpson to discuss the role veterinarians will have to play in detecting and combating any potential outbreaks.

Podcast music: “Funky Chunk” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/