Parasite control: Kill most, protect some

Drug resistance in parasites, like the worms themselves, can progress unnoticed, until the damage is done. Today, with resistance becoming more common, veterinarians and parasitologists are sounding the alarm, saying we’re reaching a tipping point, where changing practices can preserve the efficacy of existing products, but inaction could allow multi-drug resistance to become the norm. Even the most effective treatments do not kill every worm, because some worms carry a genetic makeup that allows them to survive treatment. Even if the number of survivors is small, they pass the resistance trait on to their offspring. Within a few generations, resistant parasites dominate the population and treatment with that drug, or class of drug, becomes ineffective. Bovine Veterinarian takes a look at the different strategies for effective parasite treatment. Read more…