Selecting for worm resistance in low-challenge systems with Swabtec
What if measuring worm resistance didn't require high parasite burdens and ALSO delivered double the heritability of egg counts?Sarah Preston, Lecturer at Federation University and cofounder of Swabtec, explains the development of their saliva-based test designed to measure immune responses to gastrointestinal worms in sheep, allowing resistance to be assessed without relying on high worm egg counts.She and Mark discuss why egg counts often fail to reflect adult worm burden, particularly in mixed infections and with species that regulate egg production, and how this affects breeding and…
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