Bad news for live cattle producers appears. And now it is because there are 20 outbreaks of screwworm in cattle and horses detected in the communities of Benemérito de las Américas and Marqués de Comillas in the municipality of Ocosingo, as well as in the municipality of Catazajá, in Chiapas.
“During the official inspection, live larvae were found in the wound, which were collected for diagnosis, resulting positive for Cochliomyia hominivorax by taxonomic identification,” reported the World Organization for Animal Health (WHOSA).
The parasitological examination carried out by the National Reference Center in Animal Parasitology and Analytical Technology (CENAPA) shows that there are 20 cattle and horses positive for myiasis due to cochliomyia hominivorax (commonly known as screwworm), according to a follow-up report by the world authority on the matter. of animal health.
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There are currently 17 cattle and 3 horses positive for screwworm in Ocosingo and Catazajá, a Chiapas municipality where the first case of the disease in Mexico was detected in November 2024.
The cases of myiasis due to cattle screwworm (GBG) in cattle in Chiapas were notified to the authorities on January 22.
The affected animals were treated with larvicidal powder (negasunt: coumaphos and propoxur) on the wounds, according to the report.
All cattle were given 1 percent injectable ivermectin, spray bath (cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos) and are kept under official surveillance.
On November 24, the United States Department of Agriculture temporarily paused the purchase of Mexican cattle, after an animal with screwworm was found in Catazajá in a shipment originating in Central America.
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“The United States and Mexico are working on the application of measures to resume the normal flow of Mexican exports. These do not apply to other exports of our agriculture and are limited to live cattle,” said the Ministry of Agriculture, the entity in charge of inspecting and preventing the Mexican market from being free of viruses in animal protein.
Screwworm is an infestation caused by the larvae of the fly Cochliomyia hominivorax, which feed on the living tissue of mammals, and rarely birds.
Flies lay their eggs in superficial wounds, and the larvae hatch within 12 to 24 hours. Subsequently, the larvae feed on the tissue for 4 to 8 days, causing serious damage to the animal.
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According to the World Organization for Animal Health, the last time the presence of screwworm was recorded in live cattle was on March 28, 2003. And on Friday, November 22, 2024, this infection was seen again in imported live cattle. of Central America to stop the increase in prices in the meat market in Mexico.
