# Screwworm infestation reaches Arizona as five more pets are infected

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/flesh-eating-screwworms-are-feasting-on-pets-4-dogs-and-cat-attacked-this-week/
- Published: 2026-10-30T22:36:41+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T23:07:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/10/flesh-eating-screwworms-are-feasting-on-pets-4-dogs-and-cat-attacked-this-week/
- Topics: Americas, World

## Key points

- Screwworms have reached Arizona, infecting a dog.
- The US has recorded 74 animal cases since June.
- Ten cases have involved pets, including dogs and a cat.

## Summary

The New World screwworm infestation has spread to Arizona, where officials confirmed a case in a dog, adding a third US state to the affected area. The larvae feed on living tissue in wounds, making the flies a serious threat to pets, livestock and wildlife.

The US Department of Agriculture has recorded 74 animal cases since the flies reappeared in June, mostly in livestock. This week it reported four new dog cases and one in a cat, bringing the number of affected pets to 10; one wild elk has also been infected. The flies had been eliminated from the US in the 1960s, but the barrier in Central America was breached in 2022.

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