Roadmap for nematode control strategies

Identify the genetic basis and expression of key biological processes of hosts that influence the ability of nematodes to establish and negatively affect health and productivity.

Heritability has been quantified in a number of parasitological and related production outcomes but the host processes that are involved (e.g. in heritability in faecal egg counts or anaemia scores) are often poorly understood.
How gene-environment interactions shape outcomes of nematode infection; how to therefore optimise phenotype (e.g. resistance/resilience) for given farming systems remain unclear.
The role of host genetics in determining effects of alternative control, e.g. vaccination, has only started to be explored.

Evaluate variation in the expression of genes within and between host species and breeds exposed to nematodes, including under different environments and stressors.
High throughput genomic, proteomics and metabolomics to identify the impact of nematodes in different hosts and breeds.
Relate parasitological to production impacts.
Use new data as sources of possible animal selection programmes.
A world-wide harmonized effort to collect tissue samples from different hosts displaying different phenotypes in the face of nematode challenge under different known conditions.
Identify and prepare a body of research where the bank of specimens can be analysed with the relevant “omics”.

Create a consortium of collaboration working within harmonization guidelines in order to generate data.
Create the necessary state-of-the-art hardware and software to analyse large databases.
Create a network that can share intellectual property of the database and its outcomes.
The available “omics” and future developments can be crucial to develop this area of work.

Heritability has been quantified in a number of parasitological and related production outcomes.