Veterinary Parasitology 212 (2015) 3–4
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Veterinary Parasitology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar
WAAVP 2015 special edition veterinary parasitology—Preface
This volume brings together keynote papers presented at the 25th conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology held in Liverpool from August 16th to 20th 2015. After 22 years, it has been a particular pleasure to welcome the conference back to the UK, a country that has made a substantial contribution to veterinary parasitology, and to welcome the conference to Liverpool for the first time. In spite of funding constraints, research in veterinary science in general, and in veterinary parasitology in particular, is extremely strong globally but the challenges faced are equally daunting. Parasitic diseases are a major cause of highly prevalent chronic endemic diseases, which do not always get the attention they merit, yet which are harmful to welfare and costly in economic terms, and which take their toll day in day out, year after year. Other parasitic diseases can be included as transboundary diseases, steadily expanding their range as a result of globalisation and climate change. Veterinary scientists have been very successful in developing methods of control involving new drugs, or management practices based on knowledge of parasite biology and transmission. In fact the pharmaceutical industry has been so successful that it has been able to donate compounds for human use for various neglected tropical disease of parasitic origin. Unsurprisingly though, the effectiveness of drugs is their weakness in that resistance is a now serious problem with many parasites in many countries. The “Holy Grail” of effective sub-unit vaccines produced by recombinant technology or synthetic means, has, with a few exceptions, proved elusive for organisms of the complexity and evolutionary sophistication as parasites, but we should celebrate the success that has been achieved with live attenuated and native protein vaccines. The overarching theme of the conference is “Looking to the Future” and the papers in this volume reflect that. As well as established authorities, we have sought to provide a platform for some younger, up-and-coming scientists. Their reviews are based on forthcoming challenges in veterinary parasitology and on sustainable parasite control opportunities for the future. Two of the reviews cover prospective options for the use of anthelmintics against a background of increasing drug resistance. Richard Martin et al. focus on recent research into the mode of action of anthelmintics to inform on how combinations of drugs can be used together in a logical manner to optimise their spectrum of activity, whilst reducing selection pressure for resistance. This review aligns well with that of Carlos Lanusse et al. who present a detailed perspective on using integrated pharmacological/parasitological information to design novel strategies of chemotherapeutic con-
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.06.001 0304-4017/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
trol, thus providing an evidence basis for the rationale behind combination products. The theme of ‘combination’ therapy is continued in Ben Makepeace et al. article on the use of onchocystatin, an immunomodulatory protein found in adult female worms, in combination with antibiotics (to target the Wolbachia symbiont) in the treatment of Onchocerca infection in cattle, an important model infection for human onchocerciasis. Another alternative to the currently available anthelmintics is bioactive forages. Here, Herve Hoste et al. describe recent advances made in the investigation of tannin-containing legumes in controlling nematodes of small ruminants. In the long term, the effective control of parasites will need innovative solutions that arise from basic scientific research. An area that has received recent attention in this respect is microRNA biology. Here, Collette Britton et al. describe recent advances in what is known about of helminth microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which have been identified as important regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression. These authors focus on the role of miRNAs in development and host-parasite interactions and on the use of RNA interference by siRNAs to monitor the phenotypic effects of specific molecules in nematode development and survival. The application of molecular biology techniques to the development of novel solutions for parasite control is also the subject of Damer Blake’s review. It focuses on recent advances in the genomic study of Eimeria species and strains and illustrates that public access to an array of coccidian genome assemblies will enable comparative analyses to facilitate studies on population structure and allelic diversity. Such information will underpin novel diagnostic and control strategies in the future control of these important pathogens. On a more practical level, Johannes Charlier et al. introduce the concept of “ECONOHEALTH”, the objective of which is to take into account an economic and social context in understanding factors that drive animal health. In their paper, they expand on the concept using cattle helminth infections as an example with the aim of generating insights into providing more integrated solutions for disease control on farm. With a focus on companion animals, Domenico Otranto’s review provides insights into the status of diagnostics for specific parasitic infections of cats and dogs and discusses the hurdles to effective diagnosis and the impact that these hurdles have on the outcome of infection. Finally, we would like to thank members of the Scientific Advisory Committee of this 25th Conference, all our sponsors and all the speakers for contributing to the conference as a whole and, in
4
WAAVP 2015 special edition veterinary parasitology—Preface / Veterinary Parasitology 212 (2015) 3–4
particular, those who have contributed to this volume. Finally, we are grateful to Norbrook for their support for this volume which includes an appreciation of the life of Lord Ballyedmond, recently tragically killed in a helicopter crash and founder of Norbrook, a company particularly active in the field of antiparasitic agents. A.J. Trees Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, University of Liverpool and House of Lords, UK
D.J.L. Williams ∗ Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, University of Liverpool, UK J.B. Matthews Professor, Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (D.J.L. Williams)
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Veterinary Parasitology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar
WAAVP 2015 special edition veterinary parasitology—Preface
This volume brings together keynote papers presented at the 25th conference of the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology held in Liverpool from August 16th to 20th 2015. After 22 years, it has been a particular pleasure to welcome the conference back to the UK, a country that has made a substantial contribution to veterinary parasitology, and to welcome the conference to Liverpool for the first time. In spite of funding constraints, research in veterinary science in general, and in veterinary parasitology in particular, is extremely strong globally but the challenges faced are equally daunting. Parasitic diseases are a major cause of highly prevalent chronic endemic diseases, which do not always get the attention they merit, yet which are harmful to welfare and costly in economic terms, and which take their toll day in day out, year after year. Other parasitic diseases can be included as transboundary diseases, steadily expanding their range as a result of globalisation and climate change. Veterinary scientists have been very successful in developing methods of control involving new drugs, or management practices based on knowledge of parasite biology and transmission. In fact the pharmaceutical industry has been so successful that it has been able to donate compounds for human use for various neglected tropical disease of parasitic origin. Unsurprisingly though, the effectiveness of drugs is their weakness in that resistance is a now serious problem with many parasites in many countries. The “Holy Grail” of effective sub-unit vaccines produced by recombinant technology or synthetic means, has, with a few exceptions, proved elusive for organisms of the complexity and evolutionary sophistication as parasites, but we should celebrate the success that has been achieved with live attenuated and native protein vaccines. The overarching theme of the conference is “Looking to the Future” and the papers in this volume reflect that. As well as established authorities, we have sought to provide a platform for some younger, up-and-coming scientists. Their reviews are based on forthcoming challenges in veterinary parasitology and on sustainable parasite control opportunities for the future. Two of the reviews cover prospective options for the use of anthelmintics against a background of increasing drug resistance. Richard Martin et al. focus on recent research into the mode of action of anthelmintics to inform on how combinations of drugs can be used together in a logical manner to optimise their spectrum of activity, whilst reducing selection pressure for resistance. This review aligns well with that of Carlos Lanusse et al. who present a detailed perspective on using integrated pharmacological/parasitological information to design novel strategies of chemotherapeutic con-
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.06.001 0304-4017/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
trol, thus providing an evidence basis for the rationale behind combination products. The theme of ‘combination’ therapy is continued in Ben Makepeace et al. article on the use of onchocystatin, an immunomodulatory protein found in adult female worms, in combination with antibiotics (to target the Wolbachia symbiont) in the treatment of Onchocerca infection in cattle, an important model infection for human onchocerciasis. Another alternative to the currently available anthelmintics is bioactive forages. Here, Herve Hoste et al. describe recent advances made in the investigation of tannin-containing legumes in controlling nematodes of small ruminants. In the long term, the effective control of parasites will need innovative solutions that arise from basic scientific research. An area that has received recent attention in this respect is microRNA biology. Here, Collette Britton et al. describe recent advances in what is known about of helminth microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which have been identified as important regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression. These authors focus on the role of miRNAs in development and host-parasite interactions and on the use of RNA interference by siRNAs to monitor the phenotypic effects of specific molecules in nematode development and survival. The application of molecular biology techniques to the development of novel solutions for parasite control is also the subject of Damer Blake’s review. It focuses on recent advances in the genomic study of Eimeria species and strains and illustrates that public access to an array of coccidian genome assemblies will enable comparative analyses to facilitate studies on population structure and allelic diversity. Such information will underpin novel diagnostic and control strategies in the future control of these important pathogens. On a more practical level, Johannes Charlier et al. introduce the concept of “ECONOHEALTH”, the objective of which is to take into account an economic and social context in understanding factors that drive animal health. In their paper, they expand on the concept using cattle helminth infections as an example with the aim of generating insights into providing more integrated solutions for disease control on farm. With a focus on companion animals, Domenico Otranto’s review provides insights into the status of diagnostics for specific parasitic infections of cats and dogs and discusses the hurdles to effective diagnosis and the impact that these hurdles have on the outcome of infection. Finally, we would like to thank members of the Scientific Advisory Committee of this 25th Conference, all our sponsors and all the speakers for contributing to the conference as a whole and, in
4
WAAVP 2015 special edition veterinary parasitology—Preface / Veterinary Parasitology 212 (2015) 3–4
particular, those who have contributed to this volume. Finally, we are grateful to Norbrook for their support for this volume which includes an appreciation of the life of Lord Ballyedmond, recently tragically killed in a helicopter crash and founder of Norbrook, a company particularly active in the field of antiparasitic agents. A.J. Trees Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, University of Liverpool and House of Lords, UK
D.J.L. Williams ∗ Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, University of Liverpool, UK J.B. Matthews Professor, Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, UK ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (D.J.L. Williams)
