PROBLEM: THE LIMITED NUMBER OF APPROVED ANTHELMINTIC (ANTI-WORM) DRUGS ARE BECOMING LESS EFFECTIVE AS EVIDENCED BY THE RISE IN DRUG RESISTANCE OF PARASITIC ROUNDWORMS. FINDING NEW DRUGGABLE TARGETS THAT ARE MORE EFFECTIVE, CONFER LESS RESISTANCE, AND HAVE A BETTER SAFETY PROFILE TO FIGHT AGAINST PARASITIC ROUNDWORM WORMS IN ANIMALS, PLANTS, AND HUMANS HAS BECOME AN IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL AND ONE HEALTH ISSUE. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE HIGHLY PREVALENT ROUNDWORM PARASITE,ASCARIS SUUM,THE LARGE ROUNDWORM PARASITE OF PIGS THAT SECONDARILY INFECTS HUMANS WHO EAT INFECTED PORK, CAUSED A REPORTED $77.6 MILLION OF LOSSES IN 2001 IN THE US ALONE. ROUNDWORMS COVER THEMSELVES IN A FAT- AND WAX-RICH "SURFACE COAT" THAT SERVES AS A PROTECTIVE BARRIER FROM POTENTIALLY DAMAGING AGENTS, INCLUDING ANTHELMINTIC DRUGS. SURPRISINGLY, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROTECTION FOR ANY ROUNDWORM.BECAUSE OF ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE ROUNDWORM'S DRUG RESISTANCE AND SURVIVAL, THIS SURFACE COAT REPRESENTS AN IDEAL TARGET TO FIGHT AGAINST PARASITIC ROUNDWORMS.QUESTION: WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF THE ROUNDWORM'S PROTECTIVE SURFACE COAT? DOES IT DIFFER BETWEEN ROUNDWORMS THAT ARE FREE-LIVING AND ANIMAL PARASITES? AND HOW DO ROUNDWORMS MAKE IT?APPROACHES: WE WILL REMOVE THE SURFACE COATS FROM DIFFERENT TYPES OF ROUNDWORMS AND IDENTIFY THEFATS AND WAXES COMPRISING THESE SURFACE COATSUSING EQUIPMENT CALLED GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY (GC-MS).GOALS: IDENTIFY FATS AND WAXES IN FREE-LIVING AND PARASITE (A. SUUM) SURFACE COATS. DETERMINE HOW THIS SURFACE BARRIER LAYER IS MADE.POTENTIAL BENEFIT: BY BETTER UNDERSTANDING HOW ROUNDWORMS PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM DRUGS AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ATTACKS, WE CAN EXPLOIT THAT UNDERSTANDING TO CRIPPLE THE ROUNDWORM DEFENSE MECHANISMS TO MAKE EXISTING ANTHELMINTIC DRUGS WORK BETTER AND IDENTIFY NOVEL TARGETS FOR DRUG DEVELOPMENT TO BETTER PROTECT CROPS AND LIVESTOCK FROM ROUNDWORM INFECTION.