A human medicine is being tested as a possible additional tool against screwworm

The re-emergence of New World screwworm is putting animal health back at the centre of supply security. The pest attacks wounds in warm-blooded animals; beyond the direct suffering it causes, infestations can affect handling, animal movements and trade. The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the University of Notre Dame are now funding a pilot project to assess a possible additional control tool.

The project, with total funding of US$140,389, is examining whether nitisinone could be used against larvae of screwworm-related flies. The compound is already approved in the United States for human use. According to the funder, earlier work indicates that it blocks an enzyme that several blood-feeding arthropods need to digest blood; the enzyme is also found in screwworms.

The research team is starting with the related secondary screwworm. It will assess toxicity in larvae and adults and examine growth, reproduction and survival. The primary focus is larval toxicity and the compound’s potential to act in the wound environment. The data are intended to establish dosing and other parameters for subsequent work with the primary screwworm.

This does not mean that a veterinary treatment is already available or that field use can be recommended. The project’s significance lies in its careful experimental approach. For livestock production and the meat chain, a robust response requires surveillance, diagnosis, authorised treatment and coordinated movement protocols. A repurposed compound could only be a complementary element—and would still need to demonstrate efficacy, animal safety, food safety and operational feasibility.