screwworms
Parasitic fly offspring
Screwworms are the larvae of certain flies that infest open wounds in warm-blooded animals, feeding on living tissue.
The name comes from their screw-like appearance and burrowing motion.
A single infestation can be fatal if untreated.
Once a major threat to North American livestock, screwworms were eradicated from the U.S. through a sterile-male release program in the mid-20th century.
Larval flies
- eggsReproductive cells in shells
- pupaeMetamorphosis middle stage
- instarArthropod developmental stage
- moltingPeriodic shedding of covering
life cycle · larval stage · hatchlings · obligate parasite · flesh-eating · spiracles · blowfly · oviposition
Sudden eruption of trouble
- epidemicWidespread disease occurrence
- eradicationTotal elimination of something
- quarantineIsolation preventing disease transmission
- spreadTo distribute widely
invasion · contamination · plague · surveillance · USDA · endemic · incursion · reinfestation
One receiving guests
- obligate parasiteOrganism requiring host survival
- ectoparasiteOrganism feeding on host externally
- flesh-eatingConsuming animal tissue
- tissue damageHarm to body cells
infection · secondary infection · parasitology · vector · wildlife · mammals · carrion · decomposition
Domesticated bovines kept commercially
- sheepWoolly farm animal
- woundsBodily tissue damage
- navelsUmbilical cord scars
- ranchingOperating a livestock farm
veterinary · carcass · mortality · tick bites · open sores · animal welfare · dipping · animal husbandry
Unhealed break in skin
- flesh woundShallow cut, no organs
- debridementRemoving damaged tissue surgically
- wound careTreatment of bodily injuries
- cutaneousRelating to skin
warble · botfly · tropical medicine · zoonotic · treatment · ivermectin · wound healing
maggots
Larval flies
molting · life cycle · larval stage · hatchlings · obligate parasite · flesh-eating · spiracles · blowfly · oviposition · egg mass
outbreak
Sudden eruption of trouble
- epidemicWidespread disease occurrence
- eradicationTotal elimination of something
- quarantineIsolation preventing disease transmission
spread · invasion · contamination · plague · surveillance · USDA · endemic · incursion · reinfestation · detection
host
One receiving guests
- obligate parasiteOrganism requiring host survival
- ectoparasiteOrganism feeding on host externally
- flesh-eatingConsuming animal tissue
tissue damage · infection · secondary infection · parasitology · vector · wildlife · mammals · carrion · decomposition · diptera
cattle
Domesticated bovines kept commercially
ranching · veterinary · carcass · mortality · tick bites · open sores · animal welfare · dipping · animal husbandry · feral hogs
open wound
Unhealed break in skin
- flesh woundShallow cut, no organs
- debridementRemoving damaged tissue surgically
- wound careTreatment of bodily injuries
cutaneous · warble · botfly · tropical medicine · zoonotic · treatment · ivermectin · wound healing
- ranch pestsflies, ticks, lice, mites, stable flies
screwwormsdetritivores
Creatures consuming dead material
beneficial insects · decomposers · pollinators · carrion beetles · dung beetles