VDL – Swine in Minnesota

New World screwworm confirmed in the U.S.—What you should know

On June 3, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the detection of a New World screwworm in Texas—the first of its kind in the country.

Officials identified worm larvae in the umbilical area of a 3-week-old calf. To date (6/4/26), there have been no further detections.

NWS is a serious pest that affects livestock, pets, wildlife, and less commonly, people and birds. NWS larvae (maggots) burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious damage to livestock and economic losses.

If the presence of screwworm is suspected in samples received at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory locations in St. Paul or Willmar, they will be forwarded to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) within 24 hours for evaluation.

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Assessment of ASF/CSF Sick Pig Surveillance at UMN and ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

Researchers Rachel A. Schambow, Michelle L. Schultze, Leticia C. M. Linhares, Bret Crim, Albert Rovira, Hemant K. Naikare, Catherine Lorenz, Cole Vanicek, Rodger G. Main, and Andres M. Perez from the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University and the USDA bring us today’s science page.

UMN VDL welcomes new food animal pathologist

**Dr.Talita Resende joins University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to expand food animal diagnostic services**

The Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine has welcomed Dr. Talita Resende as its newest food animal diagnostician and member of its faculty.

Epidemiological insights on the PRRS-Loom Variant webtool: https://stemma.shinyapps.io/PRRSLoom-variants/

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

In today’s Science Page Kim VanderWaal, Nakarin Pamornchainavakul, and Mariana Kikuti explore a new UMN VDL tool which allows people to upload their sequence and get their genetic variant classification but also know which PRRS variants are on the rise.

On the cutting edge of swine health

For 26 years, hands-on swine necropsy training at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has taught vital sample gathering techniques and aligned veterinary expertise with industry needs.

Veterinary pathologist Stephanie Rossow (center) conducts a necropsy demonstration on a dead pig.

In a matter of seconds, veterinary pathologist Stephanie Rossow’s knife slices through the skin of a deceased pig laid out on an examination table in the necropsy lab of the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.