The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is spreading further across the United States and finding new kinds of hosts to burrow itself into.

Several new cases of infestations caused by the parasitic fly have been reported this past week, including the first ever documented in Arizona since the screwworm reemerged in the country earlier this year. New Mexico officials also recently reported the first U.S. case found in a pet cat. October has seen a sizeable increase in reports of the screwworm affecting both domestic and wild animals.

“We have been preparing for this possibility for a long while and are acting swiftly,” said Ryan Wolker, a state veterinarian with the Arizona Department of Agriculture, in a statement released Wednesday.

Despite being a fly, the screwworm is named after its horrific larval form. Unlike many species, screwworm maggots prefer to feed on living flesh. The flies lay eggs on a host via open wounds or mucous membranes, and then the maggots use their screw-like bodies and sharp mouth hooks to dig deep into the animal. This then causes extensive, potentially fatal, tissue damage to the host and raises the risk of serious secondary infections.

S. and other countries in the Americas had pushed back the screwworm, creating a barrier as far down as Panama. This barrier has fallen in recent years, however, and the parasite has steadily been reclaiming its old territories throughout North America. S.

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