The New Year is starting with a fresh warning for those who work with animals in Texas. The state’s Parks and Wildlife Department is asking hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts to watch out for animals that may be impacted by dangerous “maneater” parasites from flies that lay eggs in open wounds, nostrils, eyes and mouths. 

The advisory, posted by the department on Dec. 30, was issued for outdoor enthusiasts in South Texas after the New World Screwworm was recently found in a cow in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the New World Screwworm has been making its way further north through the Americas. 

“As a protective measure, animal health officials ask those along the southern Texas border to monitor wildlife, livestock and pets for clinical signs of NWS and immediately report potential cases,” the department said. 

What is the New World Screwworm?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the New World Screwworm “is a devastating pest.”

“When NWS fly larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of a living animal, they cause serious, often deadly damage to the animal,” the USDA says. “NWS can infest livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and in rare cases, people.”

The Texas parks department says the maggots will lay eggs in “open wounds or orifices of live tissue such as nostrils, eyes or mouth.” Such an infestation is known as New World screwworm myiasis. 

“These eggs hatch into dangerous parasitic larvae, and the maggots burrow or screw into flesh with sharp mouth hooks. Wounds can become larger, and an infestation can often cause serious, deadly damage or death to the infected animal.” 

The scientific name for the parasite, Cochliomyia hominivorax, is roughly translated to “maneater,” according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. 

“It is an appropriate name,” the agency added, saying that the screwworm was once prevalent in the U.S., with 230,000 cases reported just in 1935. But then scientists developed a way to release sterilized male blow flies, and since female blow flies only mate once, the agency says it “effectively removed that female and her potential offspring from the population.” 

It’s believed that the elimination of the New World Screwworm has saved U.S. agriculture workers nearly $900 million in lost livestock annually, the agency said. 

Where are New World Screwworms found?

New World Screwworms are endemic in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and countries in South America. The USDA says that cases of the parasite, however, are also spreading north to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. 

“Although USDA eradicated NWS from the United States in 1966 using sterile insect technique, there is a constant risk of re-introduction into the United States,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says. “To prevent the northward movement of this pest from South America to NWS-free areas in Central and North America, APHIS collaborates with Panama to maintain a barrier zone in eastern Panama.”

What to know about New World Screwworm Myiasis 

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says that female New World Screwworm flies are “drawn to the odor of a wound or natural opening on a live, warm-blooded animal.” There, just one fly can lay up to 300 eggs at a time, and she may lay up to 3,000 eggs during her lifetime. 

After eggs hatch, they become larvae or maggots that burrow into an opening to feed. Once they feed, they drop to the ground, burrow into the soil and emerge as adult flies. The adult flies can travel long distances, the department says, “and the movement of infested livestock or wildlife can increase the rate of spread.” 

Signs of NWS Myiasis include irritated or depressed behavior, loss of appetite, head shaking, the smell of decaying flesh, the presence of maggots in wounds and isolation from other animals or people. 

To prevent an infestation, Texas officials say to clean and cover all wounds when spending time outdoors, especially in NWS-affected areas, and to apply insect repellant to outdoor clothing. 

Associated Press

Texas A&M-CC Islanders (9-6, 2-1 Southland) at New Orleans Privateers (2-12, 0-3 Southland)

New Orleans; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Islanders -9; over/under is 150.5

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans hosts Texas A&M-CC after James White scored 23 points in New Orleans’ 76-64 loss to the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.

The Privateers have gone 0-2 in home games. New Orleans averages 12.7 turnovers per game and is 0-5 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents.

The Islanders have gone 2-1 against Southland opponents. Texas A&M-CC has a 4-5 record against teams over .500.

New Orleans is shooting 38.5% from the field this season, 2.9 percentage points lower than the 41.4% Texas A&M-CC allows to opponents. Texas A&M-CC averages 6.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.2 fewer made shots on average than the 10.3 per game New Orleans allows.

The Privateers and Islanders match up Monday for the first time in Southland play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: White is scoring 19.4 points per game with 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Privateers.

Owen Dease is shooting 45.5% from beyond the arc with 1.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Islanders, while averaging 9.7 points.

LAST 10 GAMES: Privateers: 1-9, averaging 65.5 points, 32.1 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 5.6 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 39.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 87.4 points per game.

Islanders: 7-3, averaging 82.6 points, 35.2 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 9.3 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 52.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 62.9 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

NORTH TEXAS — A Sunday morning carjacking led to a multi-agency chase and the arrest of an 18-year-old suspect, police say.

Around 8 a.m., Van Alstyne Police Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a carjacking in the 400 block of North SH 5. 

The victim said he was standing by his vehicle when the suspect, dressed entirely in black and wearing a face covering, threatened him with a gun, telling the victim he was “not playing,” and demanding the victim’s keys and money, according to Van Alstyne police. 

The victim said he feared for his safety and complied with the demands, police said.  

Van Alstyne police said officers arrived “within minutes of the call,” however, the suspect and vehicle were gone. Investigators were able to get surveillance footage showing the suspect in the moments leading up to the incident.

The Van Alstyne Police Department’s License Plate Recognition System received a hit around 12:30 p.m. that the stolen vehicle was traveling southbound on SH 5 in Anna, heading toward Van Alstyne. Van Alstyne police continued tracking the vehicle as it headed north on US 75.

Officers initiated a traffic stop, however, the suspect attempted to flee, leading to a high-speed pursuit that spanned multiple cities including Anna, Melissa, McKinney, Fairview and Allen. 

Van Alstyne police said the chase “peaked” when the suspect exited the highway at Ridgeview Drive in Allen. Police said he made a U-turn, heading back northbound on US 75 before veering off the highway and driving through a construction barrier into a residential area in McKinney.

The suspect abandoned the vehicle on Pride Ct., according to McKinney police, and fled on foot

A perimeter was set up, McKinney police said, and K-9 units were called in. The K-9 units were able to track the 18-year-old suspect, later identified as Manuel Hernandez, and he was taken into custody without incident or injury.

Hernandez was booked into the Grayson County Jail and charged with aggravated robbery, evading arrest with a vehicle, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. 

The Van Alstyne Police Department said it was assisted in the pursuit by the Anna Police Department, Melissa Police Department, McKinney Police Department, Fairview Police Department, Collin County Sheriff’s Office, and Texas Game Warden. 

The investigation is ongoing.