** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** INFECTION WITH PARASITIC WORMS POSES SIGNIFICANT ANIMAL WELFARE CONCERNS AND IMPACTS THE ECONOMICS OF POULTRY PRODUCTION. CONTROL OF PARASITIC WORMS IN POULTRY RELIES ON A SINGLE DRUG, AND WITH DRUG RESISTANCE EMERGING, STRATEGIES TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF RESISTANCE ARE NEEDED. HOWEVER, UNDERSTANDING THE UNDERLYING BIOLOGY OF DRUG RESISTANCE IN PARASITIC WORMS IS CRITICAL TO DEVELOPING NEW STRATEGIES TO CONTROL PARASITES OF POULTRY. WE WILL USE RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATIONS OF PARASITES TO BUILD A GENETIC MODEL THAT WILL ENABLE THE DISCOVERY OF HOW RESISTANCE ARISES. WE WILL FIRST CREATE A COMPLETE GENOME WITH HIGH-QUALITY PROTEIN MODELS THAT PROVIDE CLEAR INFORMATION ON THE GENETICS OF THE PARASITES, AND THEN EXAMINE GENETIC AND EXPRESSION DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RESISTANT AND SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATIONS TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSES OF RESISTANCE. IDENTIFICATION OF THE MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE WILL ENABLE THE DEVELOPMENT OF TESTS THAT CAN DETECT RESISTANCE WITHIN PARASITE POPULATIONS, AS WELL AS PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE CREATION OF NEW THERAPEUTICS AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. THE POTENTIAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTS, AS WELL AS INSIGHTS PROVIDED BY THE USE OF THE TESTS, WILL ALLOW PRODUCERS TO MAKE MANAGEMENT CHANGES THAT WILL PROMOTE BETTER ANIMAL WELFARE, AS WELL AS LIMIT PARASITE-ASSOCIATED PRODUCTION LOSS, WHICH IN TURN WILL IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF POULTRY PRODUCTION. ?