Understanding drug resistance in multicellular parasites

了解多细胞寄生虫的耐药性

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-04417
• 负责人: Dent, Joseph
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: McGill University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=628925
• 关键词: Understanding; drug; resistance; multicellular; parasites

The goal of our research program is to develop tools that will allow Canadian sheep and cattle producers to better cope with parasitic roundworm infections that commonly reduce the health and profitability of their stock. Grazing livestock are frequently infected with parasitic gastrointestinal roundworms that contaminate pastures. The disease caused by gastrointestinal roundworms ranges from mild, reducing growth and profitability, to severe, leading to the death of livestock. Until recently, producers were confident that they could successfully treat roundworm parasites with inexpensive, effective de-worming drugs, of which one of the most widely used is ivermectin. Ivermectin’s importance in controlling parasite infections in both humans and livestock was reflected in the 2015 Nobel Prize awarded to the researchers who discovered it. Unfortunately, parasites are rapidly evolving resistance to ivermectin, threatening to reverse the health gains achieved through its use. If producers use ivermectin to treat livestock infected with resistant parasites, animals continue to suffer from parasites and the producer will have wasted time and money on an ineffective drug. An inexpensive, convenient diagnostic test would greatly improve the ability of producers to: 1) choose the most effective treatments, and 2) to manage herds in ways that minimize the perpetuation and spread of drug resistance. To develop such a test requires an understanding of the genetic basis of ivermectin resistance.

我们研究计划的目标是开发工具，使加拿大羊和牛生产者能够更好地应对寄生蛔虫感染，这些感染通常会降低其牲畜的健康和盈利能力。放牧牲畜经常感染胃肠道蛔虫，污染牧场。胃肠道蛔虫引起的疾病轻则导致牲畜生长和盈利能力下降，重则导致牲畜死亡。直到最近，生产商还坚信他们可以用廉价、有效的驱虫药物成功治疗蛔虫寄生虫，其中最广泛使用的药物之一是伊维菌素。伊维菌素在控制人类和牲畜寄生虫感染方面的重要性体现在 2015 年诺贝尔奖授予发现它的研究人员。不幸的是，寄生虫正在迅速产生对伊维菌素的耐药性，有可能逆转通过使用伊维菌素所取得的健康成果。如果生产商使用伊维菌素来治疗感染耐药寄生虫的牲畜，动物将继续遭受寄生虫的折磨，生产商将在无效的药物上浪费时间和金钱。廉价、方便的诊断测试将极大地提高生产者的能力：1）选择最有效的治疗方法，2）以尽量减少耐药性持续和传播的方式管理牛群。要开发这样的测试，需要了解伊维菌素耐药性的遗传基础。