Biology subjects

Rose Vineer, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Rose Vineer, H..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Evolutionary and epidemiological considerations for anthelmintic treatments in ruminant livestock

Anthelmintic drug resistance is a concern for the sustained control of gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) in ruminant livestock globally. Evolutionary-epidemiological modelling, which considers both parasite dynamics and resistance dynamics in response to interventions, can be useful in determining which anthelmintic resistance management (ARM) strategies may be effective without compromising parasite control. We address two key questions in ARM. First, how to improve the measurement of AR in populations. Second, identifying effective ARM strategies to slow the spread of AR while maintaining effective parasite control. We developed a simulation framework which tracks the weather-dependent epidemiology of GINs and AR evolution, providing a highly flexible methodology to evaluate multiple ARM strategy options in a single modelling framework, allowing for novel insights due to direct comparisons between strategies. Simulations to refine our understanding of anthelmintic resistance management evaluated the impact of key areas of uncertainty, including transmission intensity, resistance intensity, resistance frequency, drug decay and linking faecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) to resistance allele frequency. Large-scale simulations present a methodologically thorough evaluation of how treatment choices simultaneously impact epidemiological and evolutionary outcomes. Phenotypic classifications of resistance status using FECRT failed to capture fine scale changes in resistance allele frequency. The pharmacokinetics of drug decay strongly influenced ARM outcomes, and trade-offs between ARM and effective parasite control depends on genetic factors underpinning resistance. Combination therapies appear to be the most effective resistance management strategy evaluated. Our findings suggest practical implementations to manage anthelmintic resistance must simultaneously consider parasite transmission, pharmacology and parasite genetics to be robust and sustainable. We provide a rigorous simulation framework to enable such discussions allowing for a refinement into our understanding of parasite control in the presence of resistance evolution.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Seasonal and diel environment effects on host-seeking behaviour in the European tick vector, Ixodes ricinus

BackgroundPatterns of arthropod vector abundance and activity are key determinants of biting risk, and thus the risk of vector-borne pathogen transmission. Ticks are important vectors of animal and human pathogens worldwide. Their host-seeking activity (questing) directly influences the risk of exposure to ticks and their pathogens, but the drivers of this behaviour are poorly understood. MethodsThe concurrent seasonal and diel variation in Ixodes ricinus questing behaviour was investigated, for the first time, by blanket dragging every four hours over a 24-hour sampling cycle each month, from January to December 2022. Associations between tick density and environmental factors were evaluated by Generalised Linear Mixed Modelling (GLMM). ResultsA predominantly nocturnal questing activity pattern was observed. Activity was also moderated by seasonal moisture availability, being most evident in nymphs in months with high saturation deficit. The density of questing nymphs was positively associated with darkness, and negatively associated with saturation deficit. ConclusionsThe observed seasonal questing patterns are largely consistent with published data; however this is the first study to highlight the importance of nocturnal feeding and periods of high saturation deficit in the field. These commonly overlooked daily rhythms and environmental moderators of tick behaviour have important implications for assessing the relative hazard and potential exposure to ticks and their pathogens for different hosts, and for estimating abundance in scientific research and surveillance.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

GLOWORM-META: Modelling gastrointestinal nematode metapopulation dynamics to inform cattle biosecurity research

Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasite infections in grazing livestock cause significant disease, and are responsible for estimated annual losses of over {euro}1.8 billion in Europe alone. The management of GINs in cattle is threatened by anthelmintic drug resistance (AR). Immediate action is needed to slow the progression of AR in cattle GINs and avoid the increasingly common scenario of multiple drug resistance seen in sheep. Although AR can arise independently on multiple farms, it may also be spread between holdings via purchased cattle. Therefore, effective biosecurity measures on cattle enterprises could help to reduce the risk of establishment of AR populations. A metapopulation model was developed and validated for two GIN species infecting cattle, Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophora, incorporating the full parasite life cycle, weather- and immunity-dependent parasite life history traits and multiple pasture sub-populations. This allowed for complex grazing management strategies and weather influences to be simulated. The models successfully replicated the seasonal patterns and intensity of infections reported in multiple published longitudinal datasets. Global sensitivity analysis against four Quantities of Interest (QoIs) related to factors affecting the safety of the resident herd and of the purchased animals was used to quantify the influence of candidate biosecurity measures. The duration of quarantine, the date of purchase (weather/seasonal influences) and the intensity of infection on the day of purchase strongly influenced the QoIs. The outcomes for the UK were not significantly influenced by the geographic location of the purchasing farm, suggesting that the influence of weather patterns on GIN populations outweighs that of regional climate differences, and thus regional variations to GIN biosecurity recommendations are not warranted without alternative evidence to support this. The model presented here is the first full lifecycle GIN metapopulation model for O. ostertagi and C. oncophora, validated against longitudinal field data, and can be broadly used to evaluate the relative efficacy of a range of cattle GIN management strategies, as demonstrated here. These findings offer valuable insights to focus initial biosecurity recommendations for cattle enterprises, and are being used to direct qualitative and quantitative research to refine recommendations. HighlightsO_LIA metapopulation model for cattle GINs was developed C_LIO_LIThe model includes weather-dependence and complex grazing C_LIO_LIThe model replicated seasonal infection patterns from multiple datasets C_LIO_LISensitivity analysis explored influential biosecurity measures C_LIO_LIThe influence of weather outweighed that of geographic location (climate) C_LIO_LIInitial recommendations for biosecurity and further research are made C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Chromosomal genome assembly resolves drug resistance loci in the parasitic nematode Teladorsagia circumcincta

The parasitic nematode Teladorsagia circumcincta is one of the most important pathogens of sheep and goat farming in temperate climates worldwide and can rapidly evolve resistance to drugs used to control it. To understand the genetics of drug resistance, we have generated a highly contiguous genome assembly for the UK T. circumcincta isolate, MTci2. Assembly using PacBio long-reads and Hi-C long-molecule scaffolding together with manual curation resulted in a 573 Mb assembly (N50 = 84 Mb, n = 1,286) with five autosomal and one sex-linked chromosomal-scale scaffolds consistent with its karyotype. The genome resource was further improved via annotation of 22,948 genes, with manual curation of over 3,200 of these, resulting in a robust and near complete resource (96.3% complete protein BUSCOs) to support basic and applied research on this important veterinary pathogen. Genome-wide analyses of drug resistance, combining evidence from three distinct experiments, identified selection around known candidate genes for benzimidazole, levamisole and ivermectin resistance, as well as novel regions associated with ivermectin and moxidectin resistance. These insights into contemporary and historic genetic selection further emphasise the importance of contiguous genome assemblies in interpreting genome-wide genetic variation associated with drug resistance and identified key loci to prioritise in developing diagnostic markers of anthelmintic resistance to support parasite control. AUTHOR SUMMARYUnderstanding the genetics of anthelmintic resistance is a critical part of the sustainable control of parasitic worms. Here, we have generated a chromosome-scale genome assembly for the gastrointestinal nematode, Teladorsagia circumcincta, one of the most important pathogens of sheep in temperate climates worldwide. This genome and its annotation offers a substantial improvement over existing genetic resources, and will enable new insight into the biology for this parasite and new opportunities to characterise therapeutic targets such as drug and vaccine candidates. We used this resource to map genetic variation associated with resistance to multiple anthelmintic drug classes used as the primary means of parasite control, confirming known candidate genes and variants (i.e., beta-tubulin isotypes 1 and 2 associated with benzimidazole resistance, and acr-8 associated with levamisole resistance, and pgp-9 copy number variation, of which overexpression is associated broadly with anthelmintic resistance) and revealing new regions of the genome associated with drug treatment responses (i.e. 34-38 Mb on chromosome 5 associated with ivermectin resistance). Our results highlight the importance of a contiguous genome assembly and the use of complementary experimental approaches to reveal the impact of drug-mediated selection, both historically and directly in response to treatment, on genome-wide genetic variation.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

A mechanistic hydro-epidemiological model of liver fluke risk

The majority of existing models for predicting disease risk in response to climate change are empirical. These models exploit correlations between historical data, rather than explicitly describing relationships between cause and response variables. Therefore, they are unsuitable for capturing impacts beyond historically observed variability and cannot be employed to assess interventions. In this study, we integrate environmental and epidemiological processes into a new mechanistic model, taking the widespread parasitic disease of fasciolosis as an example. The model simulates environmental suitability for disease transmission, explicitly linking the parasite life-cycle to key weather-water-environment conditions. First, using epidemiological data, we show that the model can reproduce observed infection levels in time and space over two case studies in the UK. Second, to overcome data limitations, we propose a calibration approach based on Monte Carlo sampling and expert opinion, which allows constraint of the model in a process-based way, including a quantification of uncertainty. Finally, comparison with information from the literature and a widely-used empirical risk index shows that the simulated disease dynamics agree with what has been traditionally observed, and that the new model gives better insight into the time-space patterns of infection, which will be valuable for decision support.

epidemiology↗