Screwworm Fly

Cochliomyia hominivorax, the New World screwworm fly, is a species of parasitic blowfly present in the New World tropics whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. Of the four species in the genus Cochliomyia, it is the only one that is parasitic; a single parasitic Old World screwworm fly species is placed in a different genus. Infestation of a live animal by its maggots is termed myiasis, and unlike most fly larvae, which eat dead flesh, screwworm maggots are unusual in attacking healthy tissue, which increases the risk of infection and draws further flies to the wound.