Jason Keegan

Research Interests
I have a broad interest in parasites of medical and veterinary importance. I am particularly interested in how our management of parasites can impact their epidemiology. Over the course of my research career, I have looked for Toxocara spp. eggs in dog hair, Echinococcus spp. adults in fox intestines, various worms in sheep stomachs and of course, all sorts of parasite eggs in all kinds of poo!

Current Project
Irish research Council Postdoctoral Fellow
I am currently investigating aspects of Toxocara spp. epidemiology in the Dublin City Centre region. As part of this project I hope to establish the current level of environmental contamination with the eggs of Toxocara spp. in Dublin City parks. Through the application of a standardised sampling procedure, I hope to identify if there are certain factors within and between parks that may predict Toxocara spp. contamination. Molecular techniques will also be used to identify whether T. canis (from dogs) or T. cati (from cats) is responsible for contamination, as interventions that could reduce environmental contamination could differ for cats and dogs.

Selected Publications
Contamination of the hair of owned dogs with the eggs of Toxocara spp. JD Keegan, CV Holland, Veterinary parasitology 173 (1-2), 161-164
A nationwide survey of anthelmintic treatment failure on sheep farms in Ireland. JD Keegan, OM Keane, B Good, T De Waal, M Denny, JP Hanrahan, William Fitzgerald, Maresa Sheehan, Irish Veterinary Journal 70 (1), 1-8
Characterisation of ivermectin and multi-drug resistance in two field isolates of Teladorsagia circumcincta from Irish sheep flock. JD Keegan, OM Keane, L Farrell, W Byrne, T De Waal, B Good, Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports 1, 3-9
A comparison of Toxocara canis embryonation under controlled conditions in soil and hair. JD Keegan, CV Holland, Journal of helminthology 87 (1), 78-84

For a full list of papers see https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=axSDDHkAAAAJ&hl=en