Contents

1. Nematode parasites

• The nematodes
• The important nematode genera and species parasitising ruminant livestock
• Abomasal genera
• Small intestinal genera
• Large intestinal genera
• Nematode evolution
• The transition to parasitism
• Nematode biology
• Nematode genetics
• Nematode physiology
• The dauer larva
• Anhydrobiosis
• The nematode life cycle
• Niches occupied by parasitic nematodes within the vertebrate host
• The lifespan of parasitic nematodes

• Are parasites always harmful?
• Defining ‘harm’
• The abomasum
• The small intestine
• The large intestine
• The impact of parasites on overall gut function
• Effects beyond the gut

• Ecology of GINs – pasture
• Egg to L3 development
• Effect of host
• Survival of L3
• Translation of infective larvae
• Grazing behaviour and the avoidance of parasites
• Patterns of infection
• Overdispersion of parasites
• Epidemiology of ‘parasitism’
• An increase in the infective mass
• Alteration in the susceptibility of stock
• Arrested development and hypobiosis
• Introduction of susceptible stock onto an infected area
• Insufficient age-related immunity
• The introduction of infected stock to a clean environment
• Epidemiology of cattle parasites
• Population biology in the parasitic phase
• Sheep parasites
• Cattle parasites

• Control of parasites with anthelmintic drenches
• Drench programmes
• Strategic drenching programmes
• Principles of worm control in cattle
• Control of GIN by grazing management
• Alternate/mixed grazing with different host species or stock classes
• Resistance to treatment

• What are anthelmintics?
• How effective does an anthelmintic have to be?
• Which species does an anthelmintic against GIN need to remove?
• Description, efficacy, profile and mode of action of anthelmintic families
• Combination of anthelmintic treatments
• Modifying the delivery of anthelmintics
• Parenteral administration
• Controlled release of anthelmintics
• Injectable formulations

• Evolution of anthelmintic resistance
• Worldwide occurrence of anthelmintic resistance
• Resistance to one or more active families by one or more species
• Impact of resistance on productivity
• Mechanisms of resistance
• Inheritance of resistance
• Detection of resistance

• Frequency of treatment
• Under-dosing
• Persistent anthelmintics
• Why use persistent drenches?
• The provision of safe pasture and resistance
• Persistence and efficacy
• Therapeutic efficacy and resistance – ‘head selection’
• Prophylactic efficacy and resistance – ‘tail selection’
• Heads or tails?
• Persistent activity, immunity and resistance
• Persistent activity, density dependence and resistance
• Drench rotation
• Controlling resistance by drench rotation
• Drench rotation within seasons
• Modelling drench rotation
• Combination anthelmintics
• Removing resistant worm burdens
• Efficacy of single actives vs. combinations
• The odds are against multiple mutations
• Resistance is already present to one or more constituent active

• What is refugia?
• Why do we need refugia?
• How to produce and utilise refugia
• Importation of resistant parasites
• A twin approach to worm control and resistance management – utilising refugia and combination drenches

• Anthelmintic plants
• Plant material
• Plant extracts
• PSM as anthelmintics
• Forage legumes
• Practical applicability on-farm
• Other anthelmintic plants
• Micro-predacious fungi
• Homoeopathy

• Metabolic cost of parasitism
• Metabolic cost of infection
• Metabolic costs of immunity
• Parasites and nutrition: a nutrient utilisation framework
• Supplementation for increased resilience to parasites
• Supplementation for increased resistance to parasites
• Reproducing animals
• Undernutrition and parasitism
• Micronutrients and parasitism
• Improving nutrient availability
• Forage plants and parasitism
• Supplementation and immunity: increasing or enabling?

• Inter-species variability
• Inter-breed variability
• Intra-breed variability
• Resistance vs. productivity
• Resilience
• Pasture contamination, resistance and resilience
• Markers for resistance and resilience
• Phenotypic markers
• Genotypic markers
• Genetics, worm control and resistance management

• Evolution of the host–parasite relationship
• Immunity and GIN population dynamics
• The immune phenotype
• Immunological unresponsiveness
• Components of host responses to GI parasites
• Adaptive immune responses to GINs
• The anti-GIN immune response in cattle to O. ostertagi
• Impact of immunity on parasites
• Immunopathology
• Periparturient rise
• Utilising immune responses to control GIN
• Natural antigens
• Hidden antigens
• What next for immunoparasitology research?