The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has confirmed the first case of a flesh-eating parasite in a human.
New World screwworm (NWS) is a species of parasitic flies that feed on live tissue.
The name refers to the way in which maggots screw themselves into the tissue of animals with their sharp mouth hooks, causing extensive damage and often leading to death.
A Health and Human Services spokesperson told ABC News in a statement that the patient returned from travel to El Salvador.
They added that the risk to the public in the U.S. is very low.
The patient, a Maryland resident, has since recovered from the infection, and there is no evidence of further spread, the state's health department said in a statement.
Countries in Central America and Mexico have been dealing with an outbreak of the parasite among livestock.
Panama saw infections among livestock rise from an average of 25 cases annually to over 6,500 in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Since then, the parasite has been detected in seven other Central American countries, breaking a previously established barrier that contained the pest to South America for decades.
Screwworm has not been detected in animals within the U.S., the USDA noted.
It was largely eradicated for decades in the U.S. through a technique in which male screwworm flies are sterilized and then released into the environment to mate with females until the population dies out.
Earlier this month, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by screwworm.
The CDC noted that people who travel to outbreak areas, spend time among livestock animals, sleep outdoors, and have an open wound are at greater risk of becoming infested with screwworm.
[Source: ABC News]
