USDA confirmed New World screwworm in a Texas elk during the current outbreak.
Why it matters: The finding expands the outbreak beyond livestock and gives hunters and landowners a clear step: inspect carcasses and report suspected infestations. The published materials do not provide revised zone boundaries, a reporting phone number, or independent veterinary and public-health analysis.
- USDA confirmed the parasite in a female elk harvested on a Pecos County game ranch on October 21, 2026.
- USDA described the finding as the first confirmed U.S. wildlife detection during the current outbreak, not the first U.S. case overall.
- The sample was confirmed at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville.
- USDA and Texas Parks and Wildlife are conducting additional surveillance, while the Texas Animal Health Commission is modifying the designated outbreak area.
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it confirmed New World screwworm in a female elk harvested by a hunter on a game ranch in Pecos County, Texas. USDA's announcement identifies October 21, 2026, as the confirmation date and describes the finding as the first confirmed U.S. wildlife detection during the current outbreak, not the first U.S. case overall.
The sample was identified and confirmed at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville. USDA and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said they are conducting additional surveillance around the detection area. USDA also said the Texas Animal Health Commission is modifying an existing designated outbreak area. The published materials do not give the revised boundaries or an official phone number for reporting.
New World screwworm is a fly whose maggots feed on living tissue. Flies can lay eggs in open wounds or body openings. USDA advises hunters to inspect a carcass before field dressing or moving it, including the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, genital area, feet and spaces between the toes. Suspected cases should be reported through the official USDA announcement linked above or to the relevant state wildlife and animal-health authorities.
The current Texas outbreak began with a calf in Zavala County that USDA says was confirmed on June 3, 2026. USDA also says the parasite was eradicated from the U.S. mainland in 1966 using sterile male flies. On commercial meat, USDA said federal inspection would keep products that do not meet requirements out of commerce. The linked USDA and TPWD materials do not include an independent veterinary, public-health or trade-impact assessment.
By the numbers
- October 21, 2026 - confirmation date for the infected elk
- June 3, 2026 - date USDA says a calf in Zavala County started the current Texas outbreak
- 1966 - year USDA says New World screwworm was eradicated from the U.S. mainland
Yes, but: The detection is significant for wildlife surveillance, but the published materials do not establish broader effects on hunters, livestock operators, processors or landowners beyond reporting and carcass-inspection guidance.
What's next: USDA and Texas Parks and Wildlife plan additional surveillance near the Pecos County detection, while the Texas Animal Health Commission revises the designated outbreak area.