Leishmania mexican, a flesh-eating parasite that also causes fever, weight loss, and an enlarged spleen and liver is now endemic to Southern parts of the U.S., CDC experts told CBS News Oct. 19.
Until recent years, the parasite was only endemic in places like Mexico, Central America and South America, according to the CDC, but with rising global temperatures, the parasites can thrive in Texas and other states along the southern U.S. border.
"This genetic information adds credence to this idea that leishmaniasis is occurring here in the United States, it's endemic here in the United States, at least in Texas and maybe southern border states," Mary Kamb, MD, an expert in the CDC's Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, told CBS.
She recently detailed her findings on the parasite at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's annual meeting, according to CBS.
Individuals contract leishmaniasis after being bitten by an infected fly, but sometimes symptoms do not appear until weeks or months after the bite. Hospitals do have drugs to treat the condition, but their effectiveness is questionable, according to CBS, and a vaccine does not exist.
Not receiving treatment in time results in death for 90% of cases, according to the Pan American Health Organization.
At this time, it is not a reportable disease in the U.S., so tracking changes in case data is not something the CDC has a clear picture of.