Research for more effective control of devasting livestock disease

Jul 3, 2026 | 3:33 PM

As cases of New World screwworm (NWS) continue to rise in the U.S., scientists are searching for ways to get control of the fly that can cause death in livestock.

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), Agragene, and North Carolina State University (NC State) are investing $300,000 in a Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) grant to suppress the New World screwworm population by testing new technology that produces sterile, reproductively vigorous male flies.

Since the 1950’s, government agencies in the U.S. and Mexico have managed screwworm fly populations by sterilizing male flies with radiation and releasing them to mate with wild females. As these flies only mate once, the sterile male flies cause the screwworm population to decline and eventually die out. However, studies show that sterilizing flies with radiation can reduce their fitness and mating competitiveness. The sterile flies’ lack of virility requires significantly more sterile males to suppress wild populations, which slows the response to this invasion.

Dr. Maxwell Scott, professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at NC State, previously collaborated on the development of NovoFly, an all-male NWS strain.

“There are major advantages to releasing only sterile males for New World screwworm control, because males are the sex that mate with wild females and drive population suppression,” Scott said. “However, these males must still be sterilized using radiation, which can reduce their ability to mate. In this new project, we are using CRISPR gene-editing technologies to produce males that are already sterile and which may provide a fitness benefit.”

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Scott said the goal is to develop an alternative way to produce competitive sterile males without the cost and liabilities of gamma irradiation.

The research advances a radiation-free sterility approach that could become a critical component of New World screwworm eradication efforts in the U.S., especially when paired with emerging research supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on male-only strains and additional strategies to enhance male fitness.

Dr. Miriam Martin LeValley, scientific program director at FFAR said the stakes are high, and they need to ensure that all possible options for addressing the invasion are on the table.

“New World screwworm poses a dire threat to the U.S. livestock industry. Exploring multiple technologies is our best chance of helping producers stay ahead of this costly and destructive pest,” she said

New World screwworm is a fly whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing severe wounds, weight loss and often death if untreated. A major screwworm outbreak in Texas alone is estimated to cost $1.8 billion in livestock losses, veterinary expenses and labor costs, underscoring the urgent need for new, sustainable control solutions.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

by Pattison Media

Research for more effective control of devasting livestock disease

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