Wisconsin tightens animal import rules amid New World Screwworm spread [edited]
By Chad Thompson
WKOW.com
July 14, 2026
MADISON (WKOW) - Wisconsin is changing its import requirements for warm-blooded animals coming from states with active New World Screwworm infestations to protect the state's animals and animal industries.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is issuing a temporary order that takes effect July 21st.
Under the new temporary order, animals imported into Wisconsin from states with active New World Screwworm-infested zones must meet additional requirements.
Animals not originating from an infested zone must have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection stating they did not originate from a New World Screwworm-infested area. Animals originating from an infested zone may not enter Wisconsin unless the importer receives a DATCP-approved permit at least 48 hours prior to movement, and the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection includes statements confirming the animals' origin, a visual inspection within five days of movement showing no evidence of New World Screwworm and details of any treatment administered.
The order will remain in place until rescinded by the Wisconsin State Veterinarian.
New World Screwworm Found in Sutton County Dog [TX]
By Lucas Banda
SanAngeloLive.com
July 15, 2026
SAN ANGELO, TX - Texas officials have established an infested zone covering portions of Sutton and Schleicher counties after New World screwworm was confirmed in a dog.
The Texas Animal Health Commission announced the designation of Infested Zone 14 on July 14, linking it directly to the new detection. The U.S. Department of Agriculture verified the case on July 13 through its official dashboard.
This marks the second time the parasite has been found in Sutton County. An earlier case involving a sheep reported on June 12 is now listed as inactive.
It is also the third dog case reported nationwide since New World screwworm reappeared in the United States in June. The previous dog detections occurred in Lea County, New Mexico, on June 7 and in Pecos County, Texas, on June 29. Both of those cases are inactive.
Full text: https://sanangelolive.com/news/county/2026-07-15/new-world-screwworm-found-sutton-county-dog
2. Researchers map tick habitat to strengthen ASF preparedness
Study examines if soft tick found in Texas can transmit African swine fever and how it would impact surveillance, response and control.
By Camryn Haines, Ph.D., VMBS Marketing & Communications
Texas A&M University
Feedstuffs
July 14, 2026
A small, nest-dwelling tick found across large parts of Texas could play an outsized role in how the U.S. responds to African swine fever (ASF) should the virus ever reach domestic or wild pigs.
In a recent study, researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Department of Biology mapped where Ornithodoros turicata - a soft tick species native to Texas and the southwestern U.S. - is most likely to survive and examined what that means for ASF preparedness.
The study is part of a $1.4 million, Department of Homeland Security-funded research project through the Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS), DHS Science & Technology Directorate Center of Excellence housed at Texas A&M.
Led by Dr. Meriam Saleh, a clinical assistant professor in the VMBS Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, this project seeks to understand whether Texas-derived populations of the tick could help sustain or transmit the virus if it were introduced into the U.S. - and how that risk could affect the food supply, trade and cross-border livestock movement.
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/swine/researchers-map-tick-habitat-to-strengthen-asf-preparedness
3. Two Years Later: Five Things We've Learned About HPAI in Dairy Cattle
Research and field experience have answered many of the biggest questions surrounding HPAI while reshaping how veterinarians diagnose, monitor and manage the disease.
By Andrea Bedford
Dairy Herd Management
July 13, 2026
Two years after highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was first identified in U.S. dairy cattle, the industry's understanding of the disease has changed dramatically.
When the virus emerged in March 2024, veterinarians were making decisions while researchers raced to answer basic questions. Why were dairy cows getting sick? How was the virus spreading between herds? Would infected cows recover? What treatments worked? Could biosecurity contain the outbreak?
Many of those questions no longer lack answers.
Two years after highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was first identified in U.S. dairy cattle, the industry's understanding of the disease has changed dramatically.
When the virus emerged in March 2024, veterinarians were making decisions while researchers raced to answer basic questions. Why were dairy cows getting sick? How was the virus spreading between herds? Would infected cows recover? What treatments worked? Could biosecurity contain the outbreak?
Many of those questions no longer lack answers.
Full text: https://www.dairyherd.com/news/two-years-later-five-things-weve-learned-about-hpai-dairy-cattle
4. Invasive sheep brought to US after WWII are making Texas bighorns sick [edited]
Aoudads carry diseases with fatality rates as high as 80 percent.
By Andrew Paul
Popular Science
July 13, 2026
An invasive sheep called the aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) is causing problems across Texas, but the biggest issue has likely remained underexamined for decades. A study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports suggests seemingly asymptomatic aoudads are spreading pneumonia-causing respiratory pathogens to the state's native bighorn sheep. Based on recent experiments conducted by a team of wildlife biologists and veterinarians, the sick bighorn sheep only have a one-in-five chance of survival.
"Wildlife managers have been concerned about the potential aoudad disease threat for our native species since the late '70s, but relatively little work had been done to characterize these risks," Logan Thomas, a study co-author and Kansas State University biologist, said in a statement.
To better understand the true impact of diseases carried by the aoudad, researchers recently exposed native bighorns to the pneumonia-causing pathogens, M. ovipneumoniae and Pasteurellaceae. They discovered aoudads often remain infectious for prolonged periods of time despite showing comparatively few symptoms, while sick bighorn sheep exhibit far more severe issues. What's more, the sheep mortality rates may be as high as 80 percent.
Full text: https://www.popsci.com/environment/invasive-texas-sheep-making-bighorns-sick/
5. Florida Quarter Horse Euthanized After Contracting EIA
EDCC Health Watch
EquiManagement.com
July 14, 2026
A Quarter Horse at a private facility in Hillsborough County, Florida, was recently euthanized after testing positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA). The horse had a confirmed history of unsanctioned racing.
This is Florida's first confirmed EIA case of 2026. Four additional horses have been exposed.
6. Cattle producers push for solutions as Asian longhorned tick impacts herd health
By Carah Hart
BrownfieldAgNews.com
July 15, 2026
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association amended its policy on the Asian longhorned tick during this week's summer meeting, noting the tick has now spread halfway across the United States.
Missouri Cattlemen's Association President Anita Vanderwert says a disease caused by the tick has been costly to cattle producers.
"Whether it's death, the loss may only be five percent, but cattle are having abortions, calves are losing thriftiness because the lack of colostrum, quality colostrum, as it works through the cattle. It is significant in fertility issues. We've got to get on top of this."
She says the USDA's Animal Health and Plant Inspection Service needs more money to find a solution for the problem.
"We need to find a way to regulate and control this disease, as currently there is absolutely nothing that works to be able to protect our herds against bovine theileriosis."