screwworm

[ skroo-wurm ]

noun

1. the larva of any of certain flies of the genus Callitroga, which sometimes infests wounds and the nose and navel of domestic animals and humans.

screwworm

/ ˈskruːˌwɜːm /

noun

1. the larva of a dipterous fly, Callitroga macellaria, that develops beneath the skin of living mammals often causing illness or death
2. the fly producing this larva: family Calliphoridae

Word History and Origins

Origin of screwworm¹

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; screw + worm

Example Sentences

This approach eradicated the screwworm in the United States.

From New York Times

Atkinson, a psychology professor at Stanford University prior to coming to NSF, recalled that “politicians were also focused on frivolous grants, like the sexual behavior of the screwworm fly. … Why was NSF funding that kind of research?”

From Science Magazine

And NSF did not even fund the screwworm studies, much less get ridiculed for doing so.

From Science Magazine

The approach is a version of sterile insect technology, which has been used for decades to control and eradicate a fly known as screwworm, a livestock parasite, and a few other pests.

From Science Magazine

As the Libya desk officer at the State Department during the Reagan administration, I was involved in a quiet effort to skirt around strict U.S. sanctions against Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi’s regime to combat an outbreak of the virulent New World screwworm fly among North Africa’s sheep population.

From Washington Post