Fostering Communication Between Nematologists Worldwide

The goals of IFNS are:

• To foster global awareness of nematodes and advancement of the science of nematology;
• To serve as a worldwide interface for nematology societies, promoting communication, education, research and outreach.

IFNA organises a meeting – the International Nematology Congress – every 6 years to advance these goals.

 

Nematodes?

Nematodes or roundworms are everywhere.
They are among the most harmful organisms of crops, especially in the tropics, but they are also very promising as natural antagonists that can be used in bio-control programmes against pest insects. Some nematode species are devastating parasites of humans and animals.  Because of their ubiquitous presence, overwhelming densities and diversity free-living nematodes are an ideal tool for biodiversity studies.They are used as bio-indicators of pollution in both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
Nematode species such as Caenorhabditis elegans are also used as model organisms for investigating diverse biological processes.They have short generation times, are easy to culture and their genome size is small.