Name: Mexico races to eradicate parasite threatening its cattle industry
Uploaded: 2025-10-24T16:56:27.455Z
Duration: 1 min 45 s
Description: Deep in the humid lowlands of southern Mexico, engineers, veterinarians and entomologists are racing to finish a new plant that could determine whether the country can eradicate the flesh-eating screwworm parasite threatening its cattle industry.

Deep in the humid lowlands of southern Mexico, engineers, veterinarians and entomologists are racing to finish a new plant that could determine whether the country can eradicate the flesh-eating screwworm parasite threatening its cattle industry.

Chiapas

Mexico is urgently transforming an old facility into a new laboratory aimed at eradicating the flesh-eating screwworm, a parasite that poses a significant threat to the nation's cattle industry. The outbreak has led to trade tensions with the United States, which has largely closed its border to Mexican cattle imports. 

The new lab will support the production of sterile screwworm flies, a method previously used to eliminate the pest. This approach involves breeding, sterilizing, and releasing millions of flies to reduce the screwworm population. While the facility, partially funded by the U.S., is not expected to be operational until next year, Mexican officials are hopeful the renewed effort will be faster than previous campaigns.

Mexico races to eradicate parasite threatening its cattle industry

Workers in Mexico are racing to dismantle this old plant and turn it into a new lab, meant to help the country eradicate flesh-eating screwworms. The parasite is threatening Mexico's cattle industry and raising tensions with the United States. But engineers, veterinarians and entomologists are building special labs like this one, that are designed to mimic the conditions of an animal wound, which screwworm flies seek out in order to lay their eggs. It's part of an urgent push to restart the domestic production of sterile screwworm flies, a proven method to eradicate the pest version, which burrows into the flesh of warm-blooded animals, often killing livestock if left untreated. The screwworm outbreak has strained Mexico's relationship with its biggest trading partner, the United States, which has kept its border mostly closed to Mexican cattle imports since May. On Thursday, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that her agriculture secretary will visit the U.S. next week, in a bid to reopen exports of livestock. The U.S. invested $21 million in this $51 million facility, but it is not expected to be open until next year. And the technique will take time, as it involves breeding millions of flies, sterilizing them with radiation and releasing them into the wild. When sterile males mate with wild females, no offspring are produced, and the population collapses over time. Mexico first used the method decades ago, successfully eradicating the screwworm in 1991 after a 19-year campaign. But the fly program coordinators say that this time, they hope to do it in far less time.

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