Veterinary Parasitology

Veterinary Parasitology is a hybrid journal offering both subscription-based and open access publication. An international scientific journal and the Official Organ of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP), the European Veterinary Parasitology College (EVPC) and the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP)

Veterinary Parasitology is concerned with those aspects of helminthology, protozoology and arachno-entomology which are of interest to animal health investigators, veterinary practitioners and others with a special interest in parasitology. Papers of the highest quality dealing with all aspects of disease prevention, pathology, treatment, epidemiology, and control of parasites in all domesticated animals, fall within the scope of the journal.

Hosts that will be considered: Domesticated animals include farmed or companion mammals, farmed or pet birds, wild game animals kept for commercial reasons, farmed insects (e.g. bees) and farmed marine and freshwater fish. Contributions relating to parasites and parasitic disease of other animals, including species kept in zoological gardens, will only be considered upon the Editors’ discretion if they are of interest to a broader readership.

Studies on natural infections of experimental animals are within the scope of the journal, while parasitological studies laboratory animal models only fall within the scope of Veterinary Parasitology if they provide a reasonably close model of parasitic infection or disease of domestic animals.

The journal will consider papers relating to wildlife species where they may act as parasite reservoirs for domestic animals or humans. In these cases, the actual transmission needs to be demonstrated.

Parasitic organisms that will be considered: Endo- and ectoparasites of the host species investigated. Among the arthropods, parasites senso latu (i.e. organisms that spend prolonged times on the host for feeding and/or mating and reproduction and can cause clinically relevant alterations) such as mange and other parasitic mites, ticks, nuisance insects and flies as causes of obligate or facultative myiasis fall within the journal scope. Insects such as culicids (mosquitoes) or ceratopogonids (midges) are considered as vectors only in conjunction with the parasites they transmit to domesticated animals, and will only be considered when the submitted manuscript includes data on the transmitted parasites. Zoonotic parasites will only be considered if transmission from domesticated animals or wildlife to humans is included.

Manuscripts dealing with organisms that do not fall into these categories are generally not accepted. However, in rare cases, eukaryotic organisms described as pathogens for domesticated animals can be considered at the Editors’ discretion.

Manuscripts dealing exclusively with the taxonomy of parasites (i.e. first or re-descriptions of species or a taxonomic group, irrespective of the method applied) do not fall within the scope of the journal.

Descriptions of genomes (nuclear, mitochondrial, or both) or transcriptomic/proteomic data will only be accepted for parasite species listed above, and only if they include phenotypic or functional investigations. Functional studies on parasites or hosts not included here, e.g. knockout studies in rodent or invertebrate models, will only be accepted if the model function for parasites of domesticated animals is clearly demonstrated.

Case studies are rarely considered and need to be unique or of specific interest to the journal.

Manuscripts of geographically limited (local) interest which are deemed not of interest to an international audience will not be accepted. Authors who submit papers based on local data will need to indicate in the Cover Letter why their manuscript is relevant to a broader readership. Otherwise they can submit to the journal’s companion title, Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, which welcomes manuscripts with a regional focus.

Studies on vector-borne bacterial disease organisms (Neoehrlichia, Anaplasma, Borrelia….) will be considered for publication in Veterinary Parasitology only if the paper deals with the vector transmission of these organisms to domesticated animals and includes data on both vector(s) and host(s), or if zoonotic. Studies on bacteria per se will not be accepted.

Studies dealing with parasite control by means of plant extracts, prebiotics, probiotics, paraprobiotics, fungi, micro-organisms or other derived products both in vivo and in vitro, fall within the scope of the journal, but only if well documented (including analytical data on the composition of the products) and with therapeutically relevant inhibitory concentrations of purified and identified active compound(s) being clearly demonstrated. Effects must be demonstrated against relevant parasite life stages.