1. New World screwworm infestations [in the US] rise to 12 as parasite spreads in Texas
By David Martin Davies
Texas Public Radio
June 14, 2026
The number of confirmed New World screwworm infestations in the United States has risen to 12, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as state and federal officials continue efforts to contain the flesh-eating parasite.
Eleven infestations have been confirmed in Texas and one in New Mexico.
The latest Texas case was identified in a sheep in Sutton County, about 135 miles northwest of San Antonio. The detection adds to growing concerns that the parasite is spreading beyond South Texas and into other parts of the state.
2. Texas Screwworm Training Expands Livestock Inspection Capacity as Confirmed U.S. Cases Reach 12
Governor Greg Abbott announced a free online training course through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service on June 13.
June 15, 2026 12:53 PM
By Tony St. James, Marion Kirkpatrick
RFDTV.com
LUBBOCK, TEXAS (RFD NEWS) - Texas is expanding New World screwworm inspection capacity to help keep livestock moving while the state responds to confirmed cases. Governor Greg Abbott announced a free online training course through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service on June 13.
[See: https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/category/detail/0ZGQn0000001fp7OAA?utm_source=agrilifelearn_homepage&utm_medium=internal&utm_campaign=homepage_navigation&utm_content=nws ]
The four-hour course is available through the AgriLife Learn platform. It covers screwworm biology, surveillance, reporting, animal inspection, treatment protocols, agency roles, and movement permit requirements.
Qualified participants who pass the final exam may apply to become Texas Animal Health Commission-certified inspectors. Those inspectors can issue official treatment and movement certificates for livestock leaving infested zones.
3. Avian Flu Confirmed At Providence Live Poultry Market: State [RI]
Nearly asymptomatic 450 birds were killed in an effort to stop the spread of the virus, environmental management revealed.
By Joseph Hosey
Patch.ecom
June 15, 2026
PROVIDENCE, RI - Avian flu was confirmed at a live poultry market in Providence, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management revealed.
The infected birds, which included live chickens and ducks, were identified at Antonelli Poultry during routine quarterly testing by the US Department of Agriculture, the department said in a media release.
The birds came from an out-of-state dealer, according to the release.
On Saturday, the department reported the "State Veterinarian oversaw the USDA-required humane euthanasia of about 445 asymptomatic birds at the market to prevent the spread of the disease to other birds."
Full text: https://patch.com/rhode-island/providence/avian-flu-confirmed-providence-live-poultry-market-state
4. Two Strangles Cases Confirmed at Private Washington Facility
EDC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
June 15, 2026
Two horses at a private facility in Okanogan County, Washington, have tested positive for strangles, according to the assistant state veterinarian. One additional horse is suspected to be positive. The horses are receiving veterinary care.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1145372/2-strangles-cases-confirmed-at-private-washington-facility/
5. Updated Equine Salmonella Vaccine Targets Emerging Strains
TheHorse.com
June 12, 2026
About 15 years ago, in response to emergent disease conditions within the central Kentucky Thoroughbred herd, lead researcher John Timoney, MVB, DSc, PhD, of the Gluck Equine Research Center-a UK Ag Equine Program and part of the Department of Veterinary Science in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Kentucky-worked in conjunction with a team of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute (Hagyard) veterinarians to create Salmonella and Clostridium vaccines. The vaccine's success was considered a milestone moment for the health and welfare of the Thoroughbred population. Recently, that same partnership has come together again to enhance the Salmonella vaccine in hopes of delivering a similar outcome.
"Over the past several years, veterinarians have observed an increase in horses with Salmonella," said Nathan Slovis, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, CHT, of Hagyard. "We began working to improve the existing vaccine to address the issue."
Yosra Helmy, PhD, an associate professor at the Gluck Center, helped identify one of the circulating strains as Salmonella Saintpaul. Whole-genome sequencing revealed the Salmonella Saintpaul isolates were genetically highly similar and clustered together, indicating they were closely related. The core genomes of the Kentucky strains closely resembled those from outbreaks in Texas and Georgia in 2023 and showed acquisition of antibiotic-resistance genes. This pattern is consistent with clonal expansion, meaning the strains likely originated from a closely related lineage with only minor genetic differences.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1145365/updated-equine-salmonella-vaccine-targets-emerging-strains/
6. Flesh-eating screwworm has reached the US - a comeback driven by organized crime [edited]
By Max Saltman
CNN
June 11, 2026
When the US Department of Agriculture reported last week that it detected a case of New World screwworm in a Texas calf, ecologist Jeremy Radachowsky was not surprised.
Radachowsky, the Mesoamerica and Western Caribbean director for the Wildlife Conservation Society, had long warned of the resurgence of the screwworm fly: a species with a life cycle that sounds like the plot of "Alien."
Radachowsky and other researchers have warned for years that illegal cattle smuggling has quickened the return of screwworm to its ceded territory in Central America. It has since spread northward to Mexico, Texas and, as of this week, New Mexico.
Cattle trafficking is a long-standing issue in Central America, where organized crime groups smuggle livestock, some of which carry screwworm, across borders without legitimate health screenings, according to a 2022 report from the think tank InSight Crime.
The report notes that cattle trafficking is lucrative on its own, but the phenomenon also allows criminal groups to launder money through smuggled cattle and control territory via jungle deforestation to make room for massive cattle ranches.
The influx of cattle and their traffickers into the forests of Central America has had serious consequences, Radachowsky said, including receding tree cover, growing violence and the spread of new diseases.
Full text: https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/11/americas/screwworm-texas-cattle-smuggling-latam-intl