There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Goats (caprine) and sheep (ovine) are infected with the same principal gastrointestinal
nematode (GIN) species, which provoke similar pathological changes and economic consequences.
However, until now, the majority of data on host-parasite interactions have been accumulated
from ovine studies. This article aims to emphasize the need for specific caprine studies.
It is hypothesized that, owing to divergent evolutionary processes, sheep and goats
have developed two different strategies to regulate GIN infections, respectively,
based on immune response versus feeding behavior. Generation of additional comparative
data should result in a better understanding of the possible trade-offs between these
two basic regulatory processes. Goat studies should also help to avoid past errors
in the control of GIN species owing to the lack of relevant information.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.