Roadmap for nematode control strategies

The basic reproduction ratio has been a useful tool in the epidemiology and control of infectious disease, to characterise factors leading to high transmission potential and to set aims and priorities to reduce it. Application to nematode infections has been limited so far and might prove similarly useful, especially when communicating with epidemiologists and policy makers already familiar with the R0 concept but less familiar with the complexities of nematode transmission.

Setting immunity aside, conditions of host density, climate and other environmental components, and treatment, influence the inherent tendency towards establishment and population increase in nematodes and can be quantified using R0.
This approach must be adapted to the particular context of nematodes, including parasite-based rather than host-based epidemiological unit, variation in within-farm exposure due to grazing patterns, and the importance of burden rather than prevalence in driving disease outcomes.

Development of population dynamic models for nematodes and extraction of R0 and related metrics for major nematode species.
Application of R0 to make broad comparisons of climate-driven and other factors governing nematode transmission spatially and temporally at various scales, to enhance assessments of climate change impacts as well as design appropriately targeted intervention strategies.

Compilation of suitable data on nematode distribution and abundance to enable model testing under different environmental conditions.

R0 can already be calculated for many nematode species but wider use would rely on education of target audiences on the concept and its uses and limitations.