Discussion

Outbreaks due to animal and human parasites have significantly increased because of global phenomena including migration, international trade and climate change, which are shifting human-animal interactions, as well as increasing levels of drug resistance in both protozoan and helminth parasites. Strengthening animal and medical parasitology research and education is key to responding to and preventing these events and future parasitic outbreaks. As a result, De Montfort University (DMU, UK) started to build a web-based package named e-Parasitology©, accessible through the DMU website (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/) in 2015, in collaboration with practising National Health Service Biomedical Scientists in England and academics/parasitologists from the Spanish Universities of San Pablo CEU and Miguel Hernández de Elche. The package was initially launched as an open-access resource in 2017 with four virtual modules to aid with the teaching and learning of medical parasitology: 1) theoretical module, which contains e-learning units on common and emerging human parasites; b) virtual laboratory, with units of different laboratory techniques and instruments for biomedical and parasitology research; c) virtual microscope containing a library of real specimens for learning parasitology diagnosis; d) virtual clinical case studies, for promoting acquisition of problem-solving, critical thinking and reflection skills to facilitate the acquisition of diagnostic skills. Multimedia developers (staff and students) and graphic design students were hired to build the different e-Parasitology©’s resources following adult and behavioural theory and gamification pedagogies. Long-term analysis on the effectiveness of e-Parasitology© at the three participating universities have shown that the package could be effective in providing undergraduate/postgraduate students with necessary skills for medical parasitology diagnoses and prevention. As a result, our team has launched two additional resources: 1) an associate e-Parasitology© app, which was originally launched in 2020 with the same resources and tools available in the website (available in Google Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DMUHLS.eParasitologyApp&hl=en_US); 2) an e-Parasitology Game Collection© app for Smartphones, specifically designed to learn how to combat malaria through gamification, currently launched as a beta version in 2021 on Android platforms. Recent developments include the development of specific e-learning units for the teaching/learning of animal parasitology in collaboration with EBVS® European Veterinary Specialists (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain) since March 2020, which demonstrated a strengthening the acquisition of diagnostic and treatment skills for managing important parasitic diseases affecting companion animals (dogs and cats). The main purpose for developing the e-Parasitology© resources was to aid prevention and encourage reversal of the ongoing downtrend numbers of parasitologists graduating from universities in Western countries in conjunction with the lack of appropriate open access/free resources for training future parasitologists needed in developing countries such as in Sierra Leone. Thus, current actions include the following-up of graduated students that have studied using the different e-Parasitology© resources (website and/or associated app) at different participating universities from developed and developing countries, and the potential effect that these resources could have had on their careers. Collection of this feedback/impact will be crucial for updating our virtual resources and developing similar resources.