Question Corner: Do worms have an immune system? How do they fight infections? - The Hindu

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Question Corner: Do worms have an immune system? How do they fight infections? - The Hindu Posted: 29 May 2021 10:22 AM PDT (Subscribe to Science For All, our weekly newsletter, where we aim to take the jargon out of science and put the fun in. Click here.) Roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) are animals that lack dedicated immune cells. But they are constantly under attack from viruses and fungal parasites called microsporidia. Researchers from the U.S have now decoded the complex dynamics that are involved in how these organisms sense an infection. The paper published last month (Plos Pathogens) notes worms can sense changes in their metabolism and then unleash protective defenses, even if they don't directly sense the pathogens. The team studied an important biological pathway in the worms – the purine metabolism pathway. The results suggest that the host has developed ways to sense the theft of purine metabolites. It seems that when these key cellular building blocks are stolen by the pathogen, the host senses this theft to mount an immune response to the pathogen, explains first author Eillen Tecle in a release. The team adds that studying worms can also shed light on some purine-related compound mutations seen in human diseases. Lead author Emily R. Troemel added in a release that in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's important to study these questions of immunity in lots of different systems to build new tools so that we can learn how to prevent and treat infections.

Beef Management: five tips for worming cattle - Irish Farmers Journal Posted: 29 May 2021 06:06 AM PDT Cattle at grass will face a growing challenge from worms, as higher temperatures will see parasite levels rapidly multiplying. Having a good worming programme in place will limit the impact parasites will have on animal performance. Delaying treatment, a poor dosing technique and using a product incorrectly will result in animals failing to gain weight and is a waste of money. It will also increase the level of anthelmintic resistance on farm. To get the most effective cover from worming products, outlined are five tips to treating cattle for internal parasites. 1. Timing a worm dose right Getting the timing right is important. Treat cattle too early and you won't get the same cover period through June and July. Treat too late and animal performance will be severely affected and there can be a lasting impact on cattle health. Once you notice around 25% to 50% of the group showing loose dung or scouring symptoms, or coughing after herding to fresh grass, this is the time to go in with the first dose. At this point, the majority of the group will have a sizeable worm burden and treatment will be most effective. 2. What cattle to treat? Spring- and autumn-born calves in their first grazing season will be at most risk to worms and should be automatically included in any worming programme. Store cattle in their second grazing season will also need treating for stomach and gut worms. However, these animals should be less susceptible to lung worms. The other animals to consider worming are first-calving heifers, especially if these animals calved at 24 months of age. As these heifers are still developing and under stress during early lactation, they can be prone to health problems caused by worms. 3. Which type of product to choose? It is always good practice to change the choice of wormer every so often, as this cuts down resistance building up in the herd. Pour-on wormers are a quick way to treat larger groups of animals. However, cattle need to be held in a handling race to allow accurate application along the animal's back. Oral drenches are also effective, but good operator technique is crucial to make sure the drench is properly swallowed. Long-reach hook applicators are recommended, as there is no need to catch every animal in a headlock gate, speeding up the task. Using an injection-based wormer is slower, but is a more accurate method of worming and easier to allow for varying sizes of cattle. 4. Grouping cattle for treatment When dosing cattle with a pour-on or oral drench, try to group animals in the handling race so they are evenly sized, of similar weight and age. As this cuts down the variation in animals, there is less need to adjust the dosing rate on the applicator between each treatment. 5. Dosing to the heaviest animal Ideally, cattle should be weighed before worming. Not only will this allow herd owners to give an accurate allocation of the worming product, it is a good way to monitor weight gain over the summer. But if weighing is not an option, group the animals as outlined in step four. Then set the applicator or drenching gun to treat the heaviest animal in each group. This will cut down on under-dosing animals and, therefore, give a more effective kill of internal parasites. Read more Silage 2021 photo competition kicks off Department suspends Kilkenny Mart's licence

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