USDA ARS researchers partner with Virginia Tech and University of Massachusetts to find treatment for parasite infection.
Dec 28, 2020
ARS researchers discovered a groundbreaking treatment that prevents anemia, weight loss, poor wool and meat production, and even death in sheep.
ARS researchers partnered with Virginia Tech and the University of Massachusetts Medical School to solve H. contortus parasite infection, which is the number one health problem in the U.S. sheep industry. The parasite infects the stomach of ruminant mammals, feeding and interfering with digestion.
The H. contortus parasite has developed resistance to virtually all known classes of anti-parasitic drugs, said ARS Researcher Dr. Joseph Urban, who lead the research team in testing and implementation of a para-probiotic treatment to kill the parasite that causes H.contortus.
-USDA ARS
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service announced a groundbreaking treatment that prevents anemia, weight loss, poor wool and meat production, and even death in sheep.
ARS researchers partnered with Virginia Tech and the University of Massachusetts’ Medical School to solve H. contortus parasite infection, which also happens to be the No. 1 health problem in the U.S. sheep industry. The parasite infects the stomach of ruminant mammals, feeding and interfering with digestion, before ultimately affecting the animal’s overall health and stability.
“The H. contortus parasite has developed resistance to virtually all known classes of anti-parasitic drugs,” said ARS Researcher Joseph Urban, who lead the research team in testing and implementation of a para-probiotic treatment to kill the parasite that causes H.contortus.
The treatment could combat the No. 1 health problem in the U.S. sheep industry:
Haemonchus contortus, a parasite that infects the stomachs of ruminant animals, often leading to death.
The team included researchers from USDA s Agricultural Research Service, the University of Massachusetts and Virginia Tech. H. contortus is one of the most devastating parasites on earth for small ruminants, so obviously, these are incredibly exciting results, said Raffi Aroian, lead researcher and professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
ARS microbiologist Joe Urban, another lead researcher, said he has worked for decades trying to combat parasites. It s frustrated me my whole career, so it s exciting to finally make progress, he said.
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