Veterinary Parasitology

Veterinary parasitology focuses on the biology, diagnosis, control and epidemiology of parasites affecting domestic and companion animals, livestock and wildlife. Helminths (nematodes, cestodes and trematodes), protozoa (trichomonads, coccidia, haemoparasites) and ectoparasites (ticks, mites, lice) impose substantial burdens on animal health, productivity and welfare. Parasitic infections lead to nutritional deprivation, impaired growth, reproductive losses and secondary diseases. Complex life cycles—often involving intermediate hosts or environmental stages—hinder control efforts, while the rise of anthelmintic resistance and the paucity of effective vaccines present ongoing challenges. Modern veterinary parasitology integrates field surveillance, molecular diagnostics and targeted treatment strategies—including selective deworming, pasture management and biological control—to reduce chemical reliance and sustain animal performance. The discipline embraces a One Health perspective, recognising that animal pathogen reservoirs, environmental factors and human activities influence zoonotic risk and food safety. Emerging technologies, from high-throughput sequencing to precision egg-counting, are refining our understanding of parasite population dynamics and guiding integrated management plans across diverse production systems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

Recent work has elucidated the complete life cycle of the eyeworm Oxyspirura petrowi, by experimentally infecting house crickets with embryonated eggs and feeding them to pen-reared quail. Full maturation of the nematode was documented, with first-stage larvae developing in crickets and embryonated eggs appearing in quail faeces 51 days post-infection, enabling standardised infection protocols for future pathogenesis studies.

A regional survey of northern bobwhite quail in South Texas quantified helminth community composition over two hunting seasons with divergent rainfall. Ten helminth species were recorded, with Aulonocephalus pennula dominating at 81% prevalence. Environmental conditions were shown to modulate abundance and community similarity across ecoregions, informing habitat-based risk assessments and timing of anthelmintic interventions.

In vitro assays of fenbendazole against adult O. petrowi defined lethal concentration thresholds—LC₁₀ ≈ 7.5 µM, LC₅₀ ≈ 49.1 µM and LC₉₀ ≈ 163.2 µM—and revealed that single oral doses provide insufficient systemic exposure. These findings underpin dosing regimens that sustain therapeutic drug levels in avian hosts and highlight challenges in treating ocular parasitoses in wild birds.

Veterinary Parasitology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in veterinary parasitology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Heteroxenous life cycle: A parasitic life cycle requiring two or more host species to complete development.

Faecal egg count (FEC): A measure of parasite egg output per gram of faeces, used to estimate infection intensity and treatment efficacy.

Anthelmintic: A compound used to eliminate helminth worms by disrupting their physiology.

One Health: An integrated approach recognising the interconnected health of people, animals and ecosystems in disease management.

Zoonosis: An infectious disease transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans.

References

1. Life-cycle of Oxyspirura petrowi (Spirurida: Thelaziidae), an eyeworm of the northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). Parasites & Vectors (2019).
2. Assessment of the helminth fauna in northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) occurring within South Texas. Journal of Helminthology (2021).
3. In Vitro Lethality of Fenbendazole to the Eyeworm Oxyspirura petrowi. Animals (2024).