Parasite Detection, Control Strategies and Risk Factors Related to Reproductive Health in Livestock

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic infections in livestock can have serious impacts on health and production, such as weight loss, impaired growth, impaired immune response to vaccination, and diseases, compromising animals’ health and welfare and even leading to death. In the context of reproductive health and efficiency, parasitism can have negative effects, causing infertility, abortions, and a reduced ability to give birth to healthy animals. These reproductive health issues are a major cause of economic losses and a major limitation to increasing farm efficiency and herd profitability in livestock production, mainly as a result of decreased milk production and increased culling rates. Thus, maximizing reproductive health and efficiency through parasite control is a major production management goal, as effective parasite control strategies are crucial in order to maintain a high reproductive health status in livestock animals. While methods for parasite control have changed over time, a sustainable and successful approach to controlling parasites in livestock involves a combination of management strategies given that parasite resistance to chemotherapeutics shifts and parasite epidemiology fluctuates. Key measures include waste management, pasture rotation, hygiene, and health monitoring. For this Special Issue, original manuscripts, including both research papers and review articles, that address all aspects of parasite detection, control strategies, and risk factors related to reproductive health in livestock are welcome.

Dr. Ioannis Tsakmakidis
Dr. Ioannis Giantsis
Guest Editors

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