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The need to continually discover new agents for the control or treatment of invertebrate pests and pathogens is undeniable. Agriculture, both animal and plant, succeeds only to the extent that arthropod and helminth consumers, vectors and pathogens can be kept at bay. Humans and their companion animals are also plagued by invertebrate parasites. The deployment of chemical agents for these purposes inevitably elicits the selection of resistant populations of the targets of control, necessitating a regular introduction of new kinds of molecules. Experience in other areas of chemotherapy has shown that a thorough understanding of the biology of disease is an essential platform upon which to build a discovery program. Unfortunately, investment of research resources into understanding the basic physiology of invertebrates as a strategy to illuminate new molecular targets for pesticide and parasiticide discovery has been scarce, and the pace of introduction of new molecules for these indications has been slowed as a result. An exciting and so far unexploited area to explore in this regard is invertebrate neuropeptide physiology. This book was assembled to focus attention on this promising field by compiling a comprehensive review of recent research on neuropeptides in arthropods and helminths, with contributions from many of the leading laboratories working on these systems.
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Neuropeptide Systems as Targets for Parasite and Pest Control ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY Editorial Board: NATHAN BACK, State University of New York at Buffalo IRUN R. COHEN, The Weizmann Institute of Science ABEL LAJTHA, N.S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research JOHN D. LAMBRIS, University of Pennsylvania RODOLFO PAOLETTI, University of Milan Recent Volumes in this Series Volume 684 MEMORY T CELLS Edited by Maurizio Zanetti and Stephen P. Schoenberger Volume 685 DISEASES OF DNA REPAIR Edited by Shamim I. Ahmad Volume 686 RARE DISEASES EPIDEMIOLOGY Edited by Manuel Posada de la Paz and Stephen C. Groft Volume 687 BCL-2 PROTEIN FAMILY: ESSENTIAL REGULATORS OF CELL DEATH Edited by Claudio Hetz Volume 688 SPHINGOLIPIDS AS SIGNALING AND REGULATORY MOLECULES Edited by Charles Chalfant and Maurizio Del Poeta Volume 689 HOX GENES: STUDIES FROM THE 20TH TO THE 21ST CENTURY Edited by Jean S. Deutsch Volume 690 THE RENIN-ANGIOTENSIN SYSTEM: CURRENT RESEARCH PROGRESS IN THE PANCREAS Edited by Po Sing Leung Volume 691 ADVANCES IN TNF FAMILY RESEARCH Edited by David Wallach Volume 692 NEUROPEPTIDE SYSTEMS AS TARGETS FOR PARASITE AND PEST CONTROL Edited by Timothy G. Geary and Aaron G. Maule A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher. Neuropeptide Systems as Targets for Parasite and Pest Control Edited by Timothy G. Geary, PhD Institute of Parasitology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada Aaron G. Maule, PhD Parasitology, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UK Springer Science+Business Media, LLC Landes Bioscience Springer Science+Business Media, LLC Landes Bioscience Copyright ©2010 Landes Bioscience and Springer Science+Business Media, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission being entered and executed on a computer system; for exclusive use by the Purchaser of the work. Printed in the USA. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 S