By Jason Gale, Bloomberg

The US has confirmed a case of the flesh-eating parasite New World screwworm in a person in Maryland, who had traveled from Guatemala and has received treatment for the infection, Reuters reported.

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It’s the first human case in decades on US soil and has amplified concerns about the ramifications of screwworm infesting the American cattle herd once again. The infection had been largely forgotten since the US declared victory over the blight in the 1960s, but a growing number of detections in Central America and Mexico had sparked concerns that the insect could soon return to the US.

Here’s what to know about the rare pest and why cattle markets are watching closely.

What exactly is a

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