New World Screwworm 2025 Update: 

On May 11, 2025, the USDA suspended livestock (including horses) imports along the southern border with Mexico due to the increased threat of New World Screwworms in Mexico and Central America.  
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• Read Dr. Wendy’s blog from 2016 during the Key Deer outbreak in Florida below. 
• We have also added the USDA’s bulletin with pictures to help you identify suspected cases. 
• Dogs, cats, backyard chickens and other yard pets can be infected. If you suspect an infection, contact your veterinarian immediately
• To report a suspected wildlife infection, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 888-404-FWCC (3922) [email protected]
• UF News - USDA halts animal imports, UF experts explain New World Screwworm risks

Originally posted on 11/2/2016

A Halloween Story ——— Cochliomyia hominivorax - “ eater of man “

Screwworms are the larval stage of the blue bottle fly aka blow fly with a scientific name of Cochliomyia hominivorax - “ eater of man “. 
The screwworm has been eradicated since the 70s, but its recent discovery in a population of Key Deer has the USDA and veterinarians on high alert to contain them. They are a potential danger to cattle and sheep, but also to people, horses, pets, and wildlife. 

An adult female fly will “blow” her eggs (100-400) onto a fresh wound. The eggs will hatch in 12-24 hours. Screwworms differ from other larvae in that they will burrow into and eat the healthy tissue. Other maggots eat only necrotic tissue, so do not cause damage to the host. Screwworm infestations can cause deep, large wound tracts in flesh and bone. Any wound is an entry point, even a small cut, the navel stump of a newborn or the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, and eyes. After 5 -7 days, they drop into the soil and pupate for only 7 days in a warm climate like South Florida. The adults can breed within 3 days after emerging from the pupa. They will mate 1 time in their life, lay eggs, and die within 2-3 weeks. 

Screwworm infestation was a huge problem for ranchers in the southern US, and in 1958, the USDA released millions of sterile males. The theory was that the sterile males would outcompete the wild males and decrease the population. Males eat only vegetation, not flesh. The program was successful, and the screwworm was eradicated in the US and much of Mexico by 1972. Small populations remain in South and Central America and the Caribbean, and this outbreak is most likely from an animal or person traveling from an infected area to the Keys.

Treatment includes removing the larvae manually, applying insecticide, and cleaning and bandaging the wound, so stock up on SWAT ! 

If you are in South Florida this winter, check your pets and horses. Call your veterinarian immediately if you suspect screwworms in a wound on your animal or if you have a very smelly, slow-healing wound.  

The larvae have dark pigment on their trachea, so they are easy to identify. Other maggot species do not have this. You may see a bottle fly similar to the adult shown here. There is a very similar species, C. macellaria - common name green bottle fly. C. macellaria are common in the US and only eat necrotic tissue.  They are used by forensic scientists to establish time of death.

What are meridians & what is their function?
The meridians transport Qi, Blood & nourishment throughout the body. In 400 BC, the ancients had no idea about the Krebs cycle, the immune system, nerve conduction, or lymphatic drainage. By observation, they realized that fluids & electrical impulses flowed throughout the body with supplementation from the external environment, and this was necessary for life of all living things.
The meridians also connect the organs & maintain homeostasis. How do our bodies maintain a constant temperature, maintain balance, and how do our endocrine and immune systems work? We tend not to ponder these questions until we have a fever, experience vertigo, suffer from diabetes, get a bee sting, or fight off the flu. These questions have been answered relatively recently, but practitioners have been treating disease based on observations for thousands of years.
If the body's defenses become weak, the external invaders can use the meridians to transmit disease. For example, a particle of the flu virus lands on your mucous membranes, enters your bloodstream & replicates in your lungs & lymph nodes. The meridians also reflect the symptoms of disease, which is how practitioners can make a diagnosis. For example, liver heat can manifest as yellowing of the sclera/jaundice, and the eyes are associated with the liver.
The meridians transport the therapeutic effects of herbal therapy & acupuncture. The arrival of the De-Qi is the reaction of the body to acupuncture. The De-Qi effect can feel like heat, tingling, pain, or heaviness. Human patients can tell the doctor how they feel. We vets look for muscle twitching or slight changes in behavior in our animal patients. The De-Qi response results in a release of endorphins, the body's endogenous pain killers & muscle relaxers.
I use 3 kinds of acupuncture in my practice: dry needle, electro, and aqua acupuncture. Dry needle is a simple insertion of small acupuncture needles. During electro acupuncture, the needles are connected to a battery-powered stimulator to deliver a painless low low-voltage current to the meridian. For Aqua acupuncture, I inject a small volume of vitamin B12 or glucosamine into the point. This causes a small blister and gives continual stimulation over a few days.

Originally posted on Jan 5, 2011

Archaeologists determined that Neolithic man, 8000 years ago, used a primitive type of acupuncture tool called the bian-shi. It is a pyramidal-shaped stone used to lance boils and stimulate certain points on the body to relieve pain. Later, a sharp piece of bone was used for the same purpose, and during the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC to 1100 BC), the metal acupuncture needle was invented. As they tracked their clinical results, they discovered acu-points with similar functions formed a line on the body, and the sensation of the De-Qi would follow a certain pathway...a meridian or Jing-Luo.


There are 12 paired regular channels that relate to the organs and 8 extraordinary channels, 2 of which follow the midline. The Governing vessel is on the dorsal midline, and the Conception vessel is on the ventral midline. There are also collateral and divergent channels that are smaller branches of the major meridians that link the organs and meridians to one another to form an intricately connected pathway throughout the body.


You may have heard acu-points called different names by different practitioners. This is because we have several ways of naming the points. The Traditional nomenclature system is based on the location on the body, its corresponding organ, its therapeutic effect, or a symbolic meaning. Some examples are Er-jian = tip of ear, Wei-shu = stomach association point, Jing-Ming = Brighten the eye, or Da-feng-men = great wind gate, which releases wind (seizure, itching).


The western nomenclature system names the meridian and the location on the meridian, for example, BL-1 is the 1st point on the bladder meridian. HT-9 is the 9th or last point on the heart meridian. In veterinary medicine, some of the points are transpositional, meaning we have changed the location slightly to get the desired result but have to use a different anatomic point because of anatomical differences, ie horses only have 1 finger/toe, we cut off the thumb and big toe of the dog (dew claws), people don't have tails and Bl 67, on the little toe, the last point on the bladder meridian will be in a different place on a dolphin or snake.

Originally posted on Jan 5, 2011