The effects of parasitic infection can be influenced by the nutritional status of the host. It is well known that well-fed animals can better withstand parasite infection than animals on an inadequate diet. It is also true that parasites interfere with the ability of the host to utilize nutrients efficiently. Therefore, it is important to understand this see-saw effect. The better an animal is fed the better it is able to tolerate increasing infection levels, but eventually a point may be reached, depending on the worms and conditions involved, where parasitism overwhelms the host’s ability to function properly. To satisfy body demands, most nutrients are absorbed from the gut during digestion and additional nutrients are available as needed from body reserves. The term nutrient partitioning refers to the process of directing the flow of nutrients to where they are most needed at the current time. Depending on the host’s age and sex, season of the year and exposure to various potential infectious (parasitic and otherwise) agents, nutrients are partitioned for growth, breeding, pregnancy, lactation, immunity, etc. The ability of the host to maintain a proper balance of this partitioning ensures that nutrients are used appropriately. For example, as gastrointestinal worm infection increases, more damage is done to the mucosa which will result in reduced absorption of nutrients, thus making the host utilize more stored body reserves. In addition, proteins are the building blocks of the host’s immune system. So, as proteins are made less available, the host’s immune function is compromised and it becomes more susceptible to subsequent infection. Overall, the net result of inadequate feeding, for the conditions encountered, will be loss of productivity unless the balance is restored.

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