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Formation of the team follows a directive from Gov. Abbott
AUSTIN — The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) are forming a joint response team to coordinate efforts in combating New World screwworm (NWS) prior to its arrival in Texas, following a directive from Governor Greg Abbott.
“Texas played a critical role in eradicating this pest from the United States in the 1960s and will do so again if the need arises,” Abbott said in his directive. “We stand ready to protect our land, livestock and wildlife.”
The Texas New World Screwworm Response Team will share essential information with stakeholders and the public, coordinate the state’s preparedness and response efforts, and promote effective stakeholder engagement.
“Texans can be assured that staff have been act ively preparing and training for a possible New World screwworm response for over a year,” said Dr. Lewis R. “Bud” Dinges, TAHC executive director and state veterinarian. “While we hope we don’t have to deal with the pest on our soil, joint efforts to mitigate damage and protect all commodities from NWS are ongoing and will be bolstered by this well-rounded team.”
TAHC and TPWD have worked jointly for decades on disease management efforts to ensure the health and safety of livestock and wildlife in Texas.
“Excellent work has already been done by stakeholders, and state and federal agencies,” said Dr. David Yoskowitz, TPWD executive director. “The charge of the response team is to work directly with landowners, livestock producers and the public. Both the Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will bring forward all the resources and expertise at our disposal to ensure that we are prepared and can respond quickly and effectively.”
In 2022, NWS broke through an established eradication border in Panama and began spreading north through Central America. NWS reached the southern states of Mexico in November 2024 and has continued to spread in multiple Mexican states as far north as Oaxaca. Due to Texas’ vast border with Mexico, extensive animal agriculture industry and abundant wildlife, the risk of NWS reemergence in Texas is still of strong concern.
Understanding the heightened risk of NWS infestation Texas faces, TAHC has actively monitored the NWS spread in Central America. In March 2024, TAHC began developing plans, coordinating response, and training staff to respond to this threat. When NWS reached Mexico in November, the TAHC and TPWD began educating the public on this growing threat. TAHC and TPWD have continued to provide training and education for agency personnel, members of the public, veterinarians and stakeholders. While all these efforts have kept Texas ahead of the response curve, a formalized joint effort will help ensure preparedness and coordination between key partners during this critical time.
New World screwworms (NWS) are larvae or maggots of the NWS fly (Cochliomyia hominivorax), that cause the painful condition NWS myiasis. NWS flies lay eggs in open wounds or orifices of live tissue. These eggs hatch into dangerous parasitic larvae, and the maggots burrow or screw into flesh with sharp mouth hooks. The wound can become larger, and an infestation can often cause serious, deadly damage. NWS primarily infest livestock, but can also affect mammals, including humans, and birds.
The parasite was last eradicated from the United States in 1966, with costly efforts by federal and state animal health officials, livestock producers, and veterinary practitioners. Eradication efforts have continued in Central America, but the pest is considered endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and South America.
NWS infestations could have tremendous animal health and economic impacts in Texas and United States. Learn more about these impacts in the USDA New World Screwworm Historical Economic Impact guide.
New World screwworms are reportable to the TAHC. To report a suspected or confirmed case of NWS, call your private veterinarian or any TAHC region office.
Fever Ticks
Cattle Fever Ticks, known scientifically as Rhipicephalus (formerly Boophilus) annulatus and R. microplus, are a significant threat to the United States cattle industry.
These ticks are capable of carrying the protozoa, or microscopic parasites, Babesia bovis or B. bigemina, commonly known as cattle fever. The Babesia organism attacks and destroys red blood cells, causing acute anemia, high fever, and enlargement of the spleen and liver, ultimately resulting in death for up to 90 percent of susceptible naive cattle.
The fever tick has been a threat to American agriculture for generations. The disease caused enormous economic losses to the U.S. cattle industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Since that time, the TAHC and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - Veterinary Services works together to protect the state and nation from the pest and its repercussions.
Fever Ticks are reportable to the TAHC. To report a suspected or confirmed fever ticks, call your private veterinarian or click here. To learn where to take livestock for voluntary fever tick treatment, click here.
Information for Hunters
Landowners, lessees or other individuals that plan to move or hunt nilgai antelope, white-tailed deer, or other free-ranging wildlife located in a fever tick quarantined area must have the animals or hides inspected before movement.
Longhorned Ticks
The longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) is native to eastern China, Japan, the Russian Far East, and Korea. It is an introduced and established exotic species in Australia/New Zealand and several island nations in the western Pacific Region.
In late 2017, the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NSVL) confirmed the presence of the longhorned tick in the United States. Longhorned ticks are light brown in color and the adult female grows to the size of a pea when it is full of blood. Males are rare. During other stages of life, the ticks are very small, about the size of a sesame seed.
The tick has been confirmed in the following states: Arkansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee. Longhorned ticks may attach to a number of hosts including sheep, goats, dogs, cats, horses, cattle, white-tailed deer, Virginia opossums, raccoons, coyotes, red-tailed hawks, red foxes, grey foxes, striped skunks, eastern cottontail rabbits, elk, groundhogs, and humans.
