A horse in New Mexico has tested positive for New World screwworm, because the universe apparently has a sense of humor about border reopening schedules. The infected horse was found in Grant County near the Mexican border, according to the Department of Agriculture, making it the second confirmed case in New Mexico since the flesh-eating parasite first entered the U.S. from Mexico in June.

The timing is exquisite. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins had just announced Thursday that the USDA was preparing to reopen the Santa Teresa port of entry to livestock from Mexico on Sept. 24 - at a news conference in Santa Teresa, no less. According to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, the horse's infection had not yet been confirmed when Rollins made that announcement. Awkward.

The Trump administration had halted livestock imports along the southern border last year in an effort to curb the spread of the New World screwworm. Imports resumed last month through a port in Arizona as part of a "phased reopening," which is government-speak for "we're easing back in and hoping for the best."

The USDA has tracked 50 confirmed cases of screwworm in the U.S. since the first report of an outbreak on June 3. As of Thursday, only three of those cases were still active, according to the department's online dashboard - the kind of statistic that sounds reassuring until you remember that "active flesh-eating parasite cases" is not a phrase anyone wants to type into a dashboard.

Last month, four cases were reported, all in Texas. Of the two cases reported so far this month, one occurred in Texas and the other in New Mexico. The parasite, it seems, is an equal-opportunity border crosser.

New World screwworm infestations occur when fly larvae enter an open wound and feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals. The parasite can kill animals if infestations are left untreated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has characterized the risk to humans as "very low," and there have not been any reports of human infestations - which is the kind of news that qualifies as good only in the context of flesh-eating parasites.