Parasite-host-environment approach to control anthelmintic resistance in sheep flocks

The current situation of anthelmintic resistance predicts production losses in small ruminant farming. However, the integration of molecular data from hosts and parasites can enhance our understanding of the complex biological interactions underlying both anthelmintic and parasite resistance. Knowledge of how the host responds to infection and how the parasite modulates host immunity can guide selection decisions to breed more resistant animals. This understanding can also refine management practices and inform the development of new therapeutics for long-term helminth control. The monitoring of molecular markers of resistance in Haemonchus contortus in combination to assessement of parasite resistance, through genomics and transcriptomics, in different sheep breeds will provide tools to be incorporated into a system of integrated parasite control.