Studying the Parasitic King of Drug Resistance with John Gilleard

Professor of parasitology at Calgary University, John Gilleard, joins the show to discuss his work and research on parasites and how they become resistant to drugs. In this episode, you will learn:

• How Haemonchus contortus can sense and respond to changes in the climate surrounding its host, and how transmission of Haemonchus contortus is dependent in part upon the environment of the host
• What types of drugs have been developed to treat parasitic infection with Haemonchus contortus and what effect they have on the parasite
• What it means to take a genetic approach rather than a pharmacological approach to the problem of antiparasitic drug resistance

As a model for studying antiparasitic drug resistance, Gilleard uses Haemonchus contortus, a sheep parasite known as the "king" of drug resistance. He discusses what makes this such a good model for studying various parasites, and details its life cycle, how transmission occurs, what triggers inhibited development of the parasite, what types of drugs have been developed and how Haemonchus contortus becomes resistant to them, whether there is a tradeoff for the parasite to becoming resistant to an antiparasitic drug, recent research on understanding the genetics of C. elegans, the value that could be gained from taking a wider approach to the study of antiparasitic drug resistance (e.g. metabolomics, proteomics), the challenges posed by the genetic variability of worms, and what's on the horizon in terms of further research in the field.

Tune in and learn more at https://vet.ucalgary.ca/contact-us/john-gilleard. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK