The New World screwworm is usually discussed as a livestock threat, but wildlife has plenty at stake. The parasite’s larvae invade wounds and feed on living tissue, meaning deer, wild sheep and other warm-blooded wildlife can become hosts without anyone knowing an animal is infected until it is too late.
We’ve already seen how serious that can become. During the 2016 outbreak in the Florida Keys, endangered Key deer suffered significant losses. Now, with screwworm once again a threat in the United States, an intriguing question is emerging: Could genetics eventually help fight it?
That’s the subject of my latest Dark Outdoors podcast, where I speak with Matt James of Colossal Biosciences about genetic technology and its potential role in combating New World screwworm.
Listen to the full conversation:
Fighting a Fly With Biology
There is already a remarkable biological component to screwworm control. The sterile insect technique helped eradicate New World screwworm from the United States in 1966 by releasing huge numbers of sterilized male flies. When wild females mate with them, they produce no viable offspring.
Today, scientists are looking at whether genetics could take that concept further. USDA has developed NovoFly™, a genetically engineered screwworm strain designed to improve production of males for sterile insect releases. Researchers are also examining more advanced concepts that could potentially interfere with screwworm reproduction.
That doesn’t mean genetically engineered flies are going to replace established eradication methods tomorrow. Any technology capable of affecting a wild population deserves serious scientific and ecological scrutiny.
But the possibilities are fascinating.
A Wildlife Conservation Question
For wildlife, screwworm presents challenges that livestock producers don’t face. Ranchers can inspect cattle and treat wounds. Nobody is checking every whitetail buck injured during the rut or every wild sheep ram wounded while fighting.
That becomes especially concerning with threatened or endangered populations. Losing a relatively small number of animals can have consequences when the entire population is already limited.
Genetic technology is increasingly becoming part of the conservation conversation, from preserving endangered wildlife genetics to potentially using biotechnology against the parasites threatening them.
Could the next major advance in protecting wildlife come not only from what we do on the landscape, but from what scientists develop in the laboratory?
That’s the question Matt James and I explore on the award-winning Dark Outdoors® podcast.
For more stories on dangerous wildlife, emerging threats, strange encounters and the darker side of the natural world, visit the Dark Outdoors blog.
Chester Moore
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