The AgResearch project will investigate the potential of tricking animal parasite larvae to shed their protective shell on pasture so they die rather than being ingested by animals.
Shedding is a process called exsheathing and this research is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
The two-year project has $1.5 million in funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Smart ideas programme.
Internal parasites cost New Zealand sheep, beef and deer farmers $700m each year in lost production and treatments. If successful this project will benefit those farmers as well as owners of horses, alpaca and other non-commercial livestock.
AgResearch principal scientist Dr Dave Leathwick said the idea is to stimulate nematode parasite larvae to exsheath while still on the pasture, rather than in the host. If they can do this the larvae will not survive in the pasture.
This would help sheep and beef farmers prevent the importation of resistant worms on to their farm with bought-in stock and reduce dependence on animal health remedies.
Leathwick said the concept of triggering larvae to exsheath outside the host is logical but it appears no one has previously investigated it.
