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Scientific manuscript and source code of prediction models for trade-offs under nutritional and infectious challenges. Scientific manuscript and source code of prediction models for trade-offs under nutritional and infectious challenges: SMARTER – Deliverable D3.3
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Resource allocation models, embedded into mechanistic host-pathogen interaction models can provide powerful decision support tools to be used by scientists, farmers and animal breeders for managing trade-offs and optimising resilience and efficiency (R&E) of animals under a variety of challenging conditions. The objective of this study was to provide mechanistic models to simulate potential trade-offs during infectious or nutritional challenges at the animal level. Here we describe a mechanistic host-pathogen interaction model for gastro intestinal infections in sheep based on resource allocation to analyse trade-offs during infectious and nutritional challenges. The model has been calibrated with data from the parasite resistance Romane sheep line experiments conducted in SMARTER. Nutritional costs associated with host resistance to gastro-intestinal parasite infections have been estimated and used to predict and manage trade-offs. Based on our experimental data, we conclude that a positive energy cost of parasite resistance is likely. This energy cost can lead to a genetic trade-off between parasite resistance and fat deposition in lambs and may thus constrain breeding strategies in particular when feed energy is scarce. This deliverable D3.3 reports the work done in the form of a scientific manuscript and supplies the correponding code in Appendix1. A short description of complementary analysis on a second allocation model developed for goat is given in Appendix2.