Prospects for exploring molecular developmental processes in Haemonchus contortus.

Haemonchus contortus of small ruminants is a parasitic nematode of major socio-economic importance world-wide. While there is considerable knowledge of the morphological changes which take place during the life cycle of H. contortus, very little is understood about the molecular and biochemical processes which govern developmental changes in the parasite. Recent technological advances and the imminent genomic sequence for H. contortus provide unique opportunities to investigate the molecular basis of such processes in parasitic nematodes. This article reviews molecular and biochemical aspects of development in H. contortus, reports on some recent progress on signal transduction molecules in this parasite and emphasises the opportunities that new technologies and the free-living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, offer for investigating developmental aspects in H. contortus and related strongylid nematodes, also in relation to developing novel approaches for control.