Non Technical Summary
Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitism is one of the most common causes of morbidity in ruminants and camelids of all ages and is an important cause of mortality in young ruminants and camelids in the United States. Several factors such as worsening parasite dewormer resistance, and the expanding range and season of parasites has caused parasite management to become a complex healthcare crisis. Being able to select the correct diagnostic method, interpretation of results such as fecal egg counting and drug resistance testing and understanding treatment options are crucial first lines of defense in managing GI parasites in livestock species. In addition, being able to perform impactful client education on prevention and integrated management strategies that do not rely solely on drug use are important skills for the entire healthcare team. This project will focus on investigating and educating livestock owners, livestock veterinarians/veterinary students, and agricultural extension specialists on the occurrence of GI parasitism, the severity and breadth of GI parasite drug resistance, and the most current recommendations for integrated parasite management of livestock.

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
313	3899	1110	100%

Knowledge Area
313 - Internal Parasites in Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3899 - Other animals, general;

Field Of Science
1110 - Parasitology;

Goals / Objectives
Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitism is one of the most common causes of morbidity in ruminants and camelids of all ages and is an important cause of mortality in young ruminants and camelids in the United States. Several factors such as worsening parasite dewormer resistance, and the expanding range and season of parasites has caused parasite management to become a complex healthcare crisis. Being able to select the correct diagnostic method, interpretation of results such as fecal egg counting and drug resistance testing and understanding treatment options are crucial first lines of defense in managing GI parasites in livestock species. In addition, being able to perform impactful client education on prevention and integrated management strategies that do not rely solely on drug use are important skills for the entire healthcare team and agricutlural educators. The major goals of this project are to investigate the occurrence of drug resistance of GI parasites in livestock, to investigate effective strategies for integrated parasite management, and to continue to educate and inform livestock producers on information regarding GI parasites.Objectives:1. Investigate occurrence of drug resistance of GI parasites in livestock in California2. Investigate effective strategies for integrated parasite management for livestock in California3. Educate and inform livestock producers on information regarding GI parasites

Project Methods
A combination of formal classroom instruction, laboratory instruction, workshops, agricultural extension-sponsored webinars for livestock producers will be used to educate and inform regarding recommendations on integrated parasite management and the occurrence of GI parasite drug resistance. A combination of surveys of livestock owners and scientific methods for qualifying and quantifying GI parasites and monitoring drug efficacy will be used to investigate the ocurrence and severity of GI parasite drug resistance in livestock.