The contribution of the veterinary helminthology to medical helminthology

Abstract

Infections with helminths are very common in animals: all grazing animals can be considered to be infected. Over the last decades considerable progress has been made especially in: (1) the development of innovative diagnostic tools, (2) the development of new anthelmintics and large surveys to evaluate their efficacy and to assess the emergence of anthelmintic resistance and, (3) addressing the economic impact of helminth infections such as weight gain and milk yield. The technical and scientific advances developed in the veterinary helminthology contributed also in many ways to medical helminthology. Three examples are briefly presented and discussed: (1) the introduction of new diagnostic tools and the pooling of samples, (2) the initiation of studies to assess the efficacy of anthelmintics in children by the faecal egg count reduction test and making recommendations for monitoring drug efficacy in the field, and (3) studies to assess the impact of treatment at delivery to improve breastfeeding and optimize infant growth.