Regional integrated management of New World screwworm

The expected results concentrate, on the applied research pillar, on a standardized experimental platform to measure larval susceptibility to different chemical groups: the in vitro system is calibrated with doramectin and ivermectin, dose-response curves are built, and the concentration reached inside the larva is measured, with an added methodology for topical organophosphates, the route most widely used by producers. Those findings are cross-checked against animal trials comparing surgical wounds in treated and control animals on days 3, 7, and 14, which also establish whether Cochliomyia macellaria can serve as a model species. Early detection foresees the validation of one to two trapping systems in endemic and at-risk areas, judged on capture rate, species specificity, sensitivity, and operational feasibility, and on demonstration farms two protocols for wound prevention, neonatal inspection, and precision treatment are validated.

The second block covers training and coordination: two week-long biennial regional courses with around 40 professionals trained, drawn from the technical staff of research institutes and from veterinarians in the official services; three technical guides and operating protocols that harmonize criteria across countries; a regional network devoted to exchange and to coordination with animal health authorities; and four scientific publications. In three cattle-raising regions of Colombia, a monitoring application fed by field reports will make it possible to build a validated epidemiological database, with species confirmed through morphological and molecular identification.