ABSTRACT
For a parasitic nematode, hosts represent oases of resource where reproduction and/or growth is possible, in an inhospitable desert where they are not. Parasites must cross this desert because their host is not immortal and the death of the host results in the death of the parasites contained within it. Thus, despite the difficulties, parasites have to face the hazards of transmission and infect new hosts to ensure the survival of the species. In this context the survival strategies of parasitic nematodes can be seen as mechanisms which either assist them to locate and infect a new host or to survive the period between hosts.
