Resistance to anthelmintics is a threat to several animal industries world wide. Nevertheless,
the use of effective anthelmintics to control nematode infections in cattle
still remains irreplaceable. Anthelmintic resistance in cattle has been reported in New
Zealand, North and South America and England but so far not in Europe. To be able
to determine the extent of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of farm animals and to
monitor the success of any resistance management requires reliable tests for the
detection of anthelmintic resistance. One of the objectives of PARASOL, a European
Framework 6 funded project, is to produce standard operating procedures for the
running of a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT). Standardized procedures for
the FECRT have been developed and surveys with injectable ivermectin were then
performed in Germany, Sweden and Belgium in 2006 and 2007. Additional tests using
benzimidazoles were performed in Sweden and Germany in 2007. Furthermore, some
of the refractory strains will be isolated to test whether the phenomena observed in the
field was due to the evolution of anthelmintic resistance
