An invasive species of parasitic eyeworm is spreading further in the U.S. and finding new types of animal hosts.
Thelazia wormsare spread by species of flies that look very similar to your typical house fly.
But these flies have a preference for feeding on animals bodily fluidsparticularly their tears.
An American black bear (Ursus americanus)© Jared Lloyd via Getty
Worm larvae will hitch a ride onto the flies from their hosts eyes.
There are three known species ofThelaziathat can potentially infect humans.T.
In 2018, officials reported the first local U.S. case ofT.
One of the female Thelazia callipaeda worms seen in the bear’s eye. © Sobotyk et al/Emerging Infectious Diseases
callipaedain a pet dog from New York.
Other cases in cats and dogs have been seen since, usually from the Northeast.
This latest case was detailed by researchers in a reportpublishedWednesday in the journalEmerging Infectious Diseases.
The worms were examined and sent to the researchers for examination.
The scientists ultimately identified nine female and four maleT.
callipaedaworms from the bears eye.
The discovery of this case in Pennsylvania also suggests its range is expanding.
callipaedaeyeworms in the United States, the researchers wrote.
Dont worry, though,T.callipaedaisnt even the only eyeworm to worry about these days.
Just a few years ago, the first human cases ofThelazia gulosainfection werereportedin the U.S.
Personally speaking, Im swatting any flies that come near my face as quickly as possible from now on.
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