The Texas A&M University Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory has deployed researchers and veterinarians to the front lines to help fight the New World screwworm epidemic.
The overview
According to Texas A&M AgriLife Today, the researchers were sent to Austin and to a mobile lab in South Texas to help with identification and confirmation. The TVMDL is also collaborating with the United States Department of Agriculture and Texas Animal Health Commission for response efforts.
TVMDL Director Kiril Dimitrov said the agency was proud to be asked to be a part of this mission and hoped to provide “expertise in a new way by serving on the frontline of this response.”
According to the TVMDL, seven professionals are being sent on a rotational basis weekly at the mobile lab. Dimitrov said he is looking forward to supporting the state’s response to the outbreak, as it’s of vital importance.
“That’s something new for us, and it is building a capacity for improved and faster diagnostics of New World screwworm,” Dimitrov said.
The impact
As previously reported by Community Impact, efforts with research and community education on the screwworm outbreak started in 2025, with TAMU offering producer meetings, field days, youth livestock programs and emergency management briefings.
The TVMDL also currently has 17 individual operatives in the field who are deployed across the state for research and response if new cases are detected.
