Flesh-eating parasite case detected in US traveler returning from Central America

The first case of a travel-associated human screwworm infection has been detected in Maryland.

Andrew Nixon, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed to Fox News Digital that the patient had recently returned from a trip to El Salvador, a country affected by a screwworm outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Health to investigate the case.

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The CDC confirmed the diagnosis on Aug. 4 after experts reviewed larvae images.

“The risk to public health in the United States from this introduction is very low,” Nixon said.

The first travel-associated human case of screwworm infection was detected in Maryland after the patient returned from El Salvador. (iStock)

New World screwworm, also known as myiasis, is a parasitic infestation of fly larvae that feeds on live flesh, according to the CDC.

A person can contract myiasis when females drop their eggs on or near a person’s wound, nose or ears.

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It can also be transferred through ticks and mosquitoes after the fly attaches its eggs to the insects, per the above source.

In the case of an infection, a lump will develop in the person’s tissues as the larvae grow and eat flesh. It can be fatal if not treated at an early stage, health experts warn.

New World screwworm, also known as myiasis, is a parasitic infestation of fly larvae that feeds on live flesh. (USDA)

“Myiasis is not common in the U.S.,” the CDC states on its website. “Most people diagnosed with myiasis in the U.S. were infected when traveling to tropical areas where myiasis most often occurs.” 

Livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats are highly vulnerable, making it a significant economic pest, according to the CDC.

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Reuters reported last week that the CDC had confirmed a case of New World screwworm in Maryland from a person who traveled from Guatemala.

The discrepancy in the reports regarding the origin of the case has not been confirmed.

Livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats are highly vulnerable to myiasis. (iStock)

This summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a plan to build a sterile fly facility in Texas to combat the pest.

It is estimated that a screwworm outbreak in Texas could cost the state’s economy $1.8 billion in livestock deaths, labor costs and medication expenses, according to Reuters. 

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There have not been any confirmed animal cases this year.

Fox News Digital reached out to USDA for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.