Society of Nematologist

The Society of Nematologists is the international organization formed to advance the science of nematology in both its fundamental and economic aspects. It is also known as SON. To serve this purpose, the Society of Nematologists works like an agency for the network of information, organize regular meetings, and promotes and extends knowledge in all phases of nematology. The Society acts as a non-profit basis exclusively for the achievement of these educational and scientific goals. Nematodes are the most eco-rich multicellular animals on the face of the earth. They occur actually everywhere – in soil and corrosive matter from the poles to the tropics, in all forms of plant life, in the bodies of almost all animals, including humans, and in insects. Nematodes are no segmented roundworms with complete digestive, sensory, excretory, and reproductive systems. Most of them are microscopic. The variety of nematode forms and habitats is almost unbelievable: they range from the minute inhabitant of your favourite mushroom to the 27-foot-long parasite in the placenta of a sperm whale. Nematodes are needful elements of ecosystems, but most have no direct effect on humans. Those that do, however, can be devastating. In many places, people still suffer from diseases such as elephantiasis, river blindness, and hookworm, caused by nematodes. In most places, the effect on humans is indirect. For example, in the United States, plant-parasitic nematodes cause more than 3 billion dollars’ worth of crop losses each year, and cause similar losses in cattle, sheep, and swine. The study of these rare but immensely important creatures is the main work of nematologists. Nematologists are not commonly found in a “Department of Nematology,” but are found throughout various disciplines depending on the nature of the organisms they study.

The objectives of the Society are:

• Advancement of the science of nematology;
• Collaboration between nematologists, including a newsletter, Symposia and other meetings;
• Represent the views of nematologists to other bodies, organisations and governments.