Farms.com Home › News

Protecting Livestock From the New World Screwworm

Oct 17, 2025

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Livestock owners work hard to keep their animals healthy, but even small wounds or injuries can create opportunities for parasites to cause serious health problems.

One of these parasites is the New World screwworm, which has recently appeared in areas close to the United States, raising concerns for nearby livestock.

Dr. Jennifer Schleining, a clinical professor and head of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and member of the AgriLife Research New World Screwworm Task Force, explains how livestock owners can identify and manage the parasite.

Digging Into The Details

New World screwworm is a type of fly whose larvae feed on living tissue, unlike most maggots, which feed on dead tissue. The flies lay eggs in open wounds and once the larvae hatch, they invade the tissue, causing pain, infection, and, if left untreated, death.

Source : tamu.edu

Video: What Really Drives Meat Quality in Pork? - Dr. Yan Huang

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Yan Huang from University of Arkansas explores how genetics, nutrition, and stress management shape pork quality. He explains how molecular pathways influence fat deposition, muscle growth, and meat flavor while balancing production efficiency. Listen now on all major platforms!

"The most important driver of pork quality. Feed plays a very important role in the meat quality."

Meet the guest: Dr. Yan Huang / yan-huang-77829421 is an Associate Professor in Nutritional Skeletal Muscle Biology at the University of Arkansas. With academic experience across China, South Korea, and the United States, his work focuses on the genetic and molecular regulation of muscle growth and fat deposition in swine. His research connects genetics, nutrition, and pork quality to improve production efficiency and consumer satisfaction.