Texas A&M AgriLife Responds After New World Screwworm Found in Texas

Jun 04, 2026

By Adam Russell

Following the June 3 announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, APHIS, confirming the presence of New World screwworm, NWS, in Texas, experts across Texas A&M AgriLife are supporting state and federal agencies in their response and providing educational programming and resources to help protect livestock producers, wildlife managers, veterinarians, public health professionals and Texas families.

The USDA-APHIS confirmed the detection of a New World screwworm in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County on June 3.

Although the parasite presents serious risks to livestock, wildlife, companion animals and, in rare instances, humans, experts emphasize that Texas is not in crisis mode but rather is entering a period of heightened awareness and coordinated response.

Texas A&M AgriLife is here for Texas

Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service have prepared educational materials, training, fact sheets, guidance documents and surveillance support to help Texans detect potential infestations early and reduce the pest’s impact.

Experts from across Texas A&M AgriLife’s agencies and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including specialists in the Department of Entomology, Department of Animal Science, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, AgriLife Extension Agricultural and Environmental Safety Unit, and the AgriLife Extension Disaster Assessment and Recovery unit. The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will also play a vital role in this effort.

These experts will continue to support USDA-APHIS, the Texas Animal Health Commission, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as federal and state agencies respond and manage the emergency.

Source : tamu.edu

Video: What Happens When Pigs Adapt to High Soybean Meal Diets? - Gustavo Lima

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University, discusses how grow-finish pigs respond to high soybean meal diets. He explains the initial drop in feed intake, changes in backfat, later adaptation, energy efficiency, amino acid utilization, and the rise in nitrogen excretion at higher inclusion levels. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/...

“Once they got adapted to the diet, they can handle higher levels of inclusion of soybean meal.”

Meet the guest: Gustavo Lima / gustavo-lima-a9867127 is a PhD candidate in Animal Science at Iowa State University whose work focuses on swine nutrition, ingredient characterization, energy metabolism, caloric efficiency, and applied data analysis. With more than 15 years of experience in swine production across Latin America, Gustavo also brings expertise in environmental control, performance evaluation, barn ventilation, and grow-finish housing. Learn more from Gustavo Lima on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.