Roadmap for nematode control strategies

We need to define diagnostic tools and thresholds useful to decide which animals need treatment, and to determine production and epidemiological outcomes in different hosts and settings.

Diagnostic tools are needed that can practically measure (i) levels of nematode infections, (ii) pathophysiological effects in the host (resilience), (iii) immune response (resistance level).
Apply those diagnostic methods at herd/flock or individual levels, including evaluating the efficacy of treatments.
Molecular tools to identify nematode species; resistance status.
Robust intervention thresholds for production or parasitological indicators or combinations.
Use new tools such as sensors of animal behaviour to expand phenotypic markers of high nematode impacts or to improve epidemiological information.

Pen-side tools for parasitological or other markers of infection.
Wider validation of simple phenotypic markers (e.g. BCS, FAMACHA©) and use to decide treatments.
Robust methods to determine nematode species, especially of GIN from eggs in faeces.
Use mobile phone computer applications to integrate information from diagnostics and help decision-making at farm level, with information collected into a large international or national database for future epidemiological work.

Practical and low cost methods to automate markers of nematode infection, e.g. FEC for GIN, and the means to collect data and deliver it in a form useful for farmer decision support and epidemiological analyses.
Understanding of socio-psychological factors influencing adoption of diagnostics in support of improved control.

Few methods for detection of nematodes or AR in the field except faecal egg/larval counts.
Poor standardisation of laboratory tests for AR. Little use of diagnostics by farmers to determine time or type of intervention/ treatment.