A first little bitter. In Maryland, in the United States, an unprecedented case of infestation by Lucilie Bouchère du Nouveau Monde-a parasite known to feed on living flesh-has been confirmed in a man. The very serious announcement was made by the United States Ministry of Health and Social Services (HHS) and the centers for the control and prevention of diseases (CDC).
A fly larva that devours living tissues
Lucilie Bouchère (Cochliomyia hominivorax), nicknamed “Versal of the New World” is a parasite that has poetics only the name. It is actually a parasitic fly whose larvae burst in the living tissues of hot blood animals. And in humans in very rare cases.
Unlike other species that colonize the already infected wounds, these has the distinction of also loving healthy tissues and new wounds. The larvae, equipped with oral hooks, then cause deep lesions and release a smell of decomposing flesh, attracting other flies.
An experience you don’t want to know, surely. According to Professor Phillip Kaufman, director of the Entomology Department of Texas A & M University, “A female can lay up to 300 eggs both in a wound or a natural hole, and up to 3,000 during her life “. The eggs hatch in a dozen hours and the larvae immediately begin to feed … flesh.
A first case linked to a trip to Central America
However, this first American case is not indigenous. The infected patient returned from Salvador, a country affected by an epidemic of myiase NWS (the name of the disease). But it constitutes the first “Human case associated with an international trip identified on American soil “. His infection was confirmed on August 4, 2025 and constitutes important information.
However, federal authorities are reassuring. The CDC and the Maryland Department of Health claim that the risk for the general population is low and that the disease is not contagious between humans.
On the cattle side, the risk is also moderate. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association stresses that no immediate danger weighs on American bovine industry, which represents more than $ 100 billion in economic activity.
However, the USDA (Ministry of Agriculture) recalls that an uncontrolled epidemic in livestock could have disastrous consequences. The agency has already mobilized its teams, in collaboration with the UN and the veterinary services, to contain the spread.
An already present parasite from South America to the Caribbean
Originally from South America and the Caribbean, Lucilie Bouchère has gradually spread to Central America and Mexico. Despite eradication programs carried out for several decades, new households continue to emerge regularly.
The case of Maryland illustrates the vulnerability of travelers and recalls the importance of health vigilance in the face of this pest, capable of touching both humans and animals. To avoid becoming the second or umpteenth case of person infected with this sympathetic verse, experts recommend some simple measures to reduce the risk of infestation in the places concerned:
- Clean and cover any wound, even minimal;
- Wear long and loose clothes;
- Use insectuges approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
- Avoid sleeping outside without a mosquito net.