The Screwworm Fly With Kylie Sherrill
Description
Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Dustin Hector, He's the Director of Business Development for the American Cattlemen Media group, and he sits down with Kylie Sherrill with Central Life Sciences. Holding undergraduate and master's degrees from Oklahoma State University's Entomology and Plant Pathology Department, Kylie has a robust background in livestock entomology. Her academic work included research on various parasites, including biting flies, ticks, lice, and internal parasites, with her master's thesis focusing on horse flies and eastern red cedar in Oklahoma.
Based in north central Oklahoma, Kylie supports Central Life Sciences' sales team across North America, working with livestock operations including beef cattle, dairy, swine, poultry, sheep, and goats. Her professional role involves developing pest management plans, conducting efficacy trials, and providing technical support for various livestock pest control products.
The Screwworm fly represents a significant challenge that Kylie knows intimately. The pest is not a new threat, but one the United States successfully eradicated in the 1960s through an innovative sterile insect technique. By releasing sterilized male flies, researchers prevented female flies from producing viable offspring, gradually reducing the population and pushing them back to the Panama Canal.
Currently, the screw worm fly remains contained in Mexico, with the most northern reported case located north of Mexico City. The Screwworm fly presents a serious threat to livestock, as females lay eggs in open wounds, with larvae consuming living tissue and continuously enlarging the injury. Each female fly can lay eggs throughout her approximately 30-day lifespan, making rapid containment crucial.
The United States and international partners are working diligently to prevent the fly's northward spread. Strict animal import protocols involve multiple veterinary inspections, insecticide treatments, and quarantine procedures. Producers are advised to maintain vigilant wound care, increase pest control efforts, and communicate closely with veterinarians.
Kylie's expertise highlights the complex, collaborative effort required to manage this persistent agricultural challenge.
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