New Diagnostic Tools and Alternative Approaches to the Control of Parasites in Livestock and Pets
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 450
Special Issue Editors
Interests: animal welfare, parasitic diseases, parasitological diagnosis and alternative control on livestock
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: ruminant parasites; anthelmintic resistance; parasitological diagnosis; parasite control
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Animals are parasitized by various parasite species as protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. These pathogens can cause severe disease and affect productivity, and are amongst the most important production-limiting diseases.
A major constraint on the control of parasitological infections in animals is the use of inappropriate and obsolete diagnostic tools and treatment failure due to resistance to antiparasitic drugs. Reliable and user-friendly diagnostic tools are needed to detect resistance and monitor its development and spread. New diagnostic tools now await implementation in routine and health monitoring programs of animals and have the potential for further extension to incorporate additional infection and health parameter analysis.
Parasite control programs are mainly based on the use of antiparasitic drugs, and their frequent, indiscriminate, and/or inappropriate use has resulted in the selection of drug-resistant parasite populations. In addition, the use of some classes of these drugs could have a significant environmental impact, deriving from the presence of drug residues excreted with animal feces. These residues can be harmful to some animal species including fish and many invertebrates, especially those belonging to the orders of Dictyoptera, Homoptera, Thysanoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Hymenoptera.
Measures should be taken to avoid or reduce a further selection for resistance and to decrease the environmental impact. There is a strong impetus to explore novel approaches for a more integrated management of parasitic infections. Toward this end, drug-free alternative control strategies have been developed.
In recent years, phytotherapy has aroused a great deal of interest due to the capabilities of plants and their compounds in the treatment of parasitic diseases. In particular, a considerable number of plants, or parts of them (fruits, nuts, bark, etc.) have shown anti-parasitic activities in animals. In many cases, these remedies consist of a mixture of plants or natural extracts obtained through various processes.
One promising non-chemoprophylactic control approach is the use of anti-parasitic forages that have shown a promising reduction of parasite load when applied under short-term, controlled conditions.
Plant-based therapies could be a suitable alternative to synthetic drugs, and the use of plants, bioactive forages, and natural extracts with no-environmental impact could replace or complement the parasite control in animals, minimizing the dependence on drugs and maintaining high levels of health and welfare.
The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent research and reviews on new diagnostic tools and alternative approaches to the control of parasites in livestock and pets.
Dr. Fabio Castagna
Dr. Antonio Bosco
Assoc. Prof. Vincenzo Musella
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- parasite bio-control
- ethnoveterinary medicine
- bioactive phyto-compounds
- natural extracts
- new diagnostic tools
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