Wild ruminants are susceptible to infection from generalist helminth species, which can also infect domestic ruminants. A better understanding is required of the conditions under which wild ruminants can act as a source of helminths (including anthelmintic-resistant genotypes) for domestic ruminants, and vice versa, with the added possibility that wildlife could act as refugia for drug-susceptible genotypes and hence buffer the spread and development of resistance. Helminth infections cause significant productivity losses in domestic ruminants and a growing resistance to all classes of anthelmintic drug escalates concerns around helminth infection in the livestock industry. Previous research demonstrates that drug-resistant strains of the pathogenic nematode Haemonchus contortus can be transmitted between wild and domestic ruminants, and that gastro-intestinal nematode infections are more intense in wild ruminants within areas of high livestock density. In this article, the factors likely to influence the role of wild ruminants in helminth infections and anthelmintic resistance in livestock are considered, including host population movement across heterogeneous landscapes, and the effects of climate and environment on parasite dynamics. Methods of predicting and validating suspected drivers of helminth transmission in this context are considered based on advances in predictive modelling and molecular tools.
Keywords: Haemonchus contortus; deer; nematodes; refugia; transmission; trematodes.