Theory 097/Veterinary Medicine
Resistance Is Refugia
The claim
Anthelmintic resistance is set by the proportion of the parasite population in refugia rather than by treatment frequency.
01The mechanism
Susceptible parasites outside treated hosts dilute resistant survivors; removing refugia lets resistance dominate even with modest treatment.
02Predictions
- P1Resistance should track refugia proportion.
- P2Frequency alone should mispredict.
03Refutation
Resistance tracking treatment frequency would remove the refugia term.