Fecal Egg Count (FEC) is a diagnostic tool used to quantify the number of parasite eggs present in a horse's feces. This measure is primarily employed to assess the burden of gastrointestinal parasites, such as strongyles and ascarids, in equine populations. FEC is instrumental in informing parasite management strategies, including the timing and effectiveness of anthelmintic treatments. The process involves collecting a fecal sample from the horse, preparing it in a laboratory setting, and examining it under a microscope to count the eggs. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, applications, and implications of fecal egg count in equine parasitology.
Kuzmina TA, Kharchenko VO.In 2004-2006, 322 brood horses from 11 horse farms were examined using the faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) to determine the presence and distribution of anthelmintic resistance in strongylids in Ukraine. The anthelmintic drugs "Albendazole-7.5" (7.5mg of albenazole, Ukraine) at a dose of 5mg per kg body weight and "Univerm" (0.2% aversectin C, Russia) at a dose of 0.5mg per kg body weight were used. Seventy-one horses from six farms were examined in vivo to investigate the influence of anthelmintic treatment on the gastrointestinal strongylid community structure. Horses were treated wi...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Ionita M, Lewellen A, Collins SS.Field studies (n=6) were completed on evaluation of activity of ivermectin (200 microg/kg) paste formulation against small strongyles in horses (foals, yearlings, and older animals) on a farm (Farm MC) in Central Kentucky in late 2006 and during 2007. A girth tape was used to estimate body weights which were then used to calculate the proper dose rate of ivermectin. The foals, yearlings, and some of the older horses were born and raised on the farm. However, most of the older horses which were not raised on the farm had been there for several years. The horse herd was given ivermectin exclusiv...
Slocombe JO, Coté JF, de Gannes RV.Three clinical trials with fecal egg count reduction tests and coproculture were conducted on 2 standardbred farms in Ontario. On Farm A, the treatment groups were mebendazole and ivermectin in trial 1, and fenbendazole and moxidectin in another. On Farm B, treatment groups were mebendazole and ivermectin. All horses treated with mebendazole or fenbendazole were subsequently treated with ivermectin or moxidectin. Strongyle eggs/g feces were estimated pre- and post-treatment using the Cornell-McMaster dilution and Cornell-Wisconsin centrifugal flotation techniques. After treatment, there was no...
Getachew AM, Innocent GT, Trawford AF, Feseha G, Reid SJ, Love S.A cross-sectional coprological survey in the regions of Ada, Akaki, Bereh and Boset, and a retrospective postmortem investigation were conducted to study the epidemiology of Parascaris equorum in donkeys and horses in Ethiopia. Faecal samples from 803 working donkeys and 402 horses were collected, and the numbers of worms recovered from 112 donkeys examined postmortem between 1995 and 2004 were analysed. There was a high prevalence of infection and faecal egg output of P equorum in both donkeys and horses, and the severity of the infection in donkeys was increased irrespective of their age. Th...
Kjaer LN, Lungholt MM, Nielsen MK, Olsen SN, Maddox-Hyttel C.Increased knowledge is needed to assist in the interpretation of presently available diagnostic techniques for infection by the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata in horses. Objective: The suggested cut-off level of an A. perfoliata specific ELISA may not adequately reflect the actual infection level. Hence, faecal egg counts may be a more useful diagnostic test for individual horses than previously reported. Methods: Eighty-four horses admitted for slaughter at a Danish abattoir were examined for the presence of A. perfoliata. The number of tapeworms, their stage of development and gross patho...
Lindgren K, Ljungvall O, Nilsson O, Ljungström BL, Lindahl C, Höglund J.Environmental contamination and the egg excretion pattern of the ascarid Parascaris equorum (Nematoda) was investigated in relation to anthelmintic treatment on a Swedish stud farm. Faecal samples from 15 foals, dewormed every 8th-week with a paste formulation of ivermectin at the standard dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight, were collected at five sampling occasions between August and November 2006. In addition, soil samples were obtained from four paddocks used by these foals in November 2006. The number of eggs per gram (epg) was counted in both faeces and soil. Egg excretion started when the...
Eysker M, Bakker J, van den Berg M, van Doorn DC, Ploeger HW.A study was performed on two horse farms to evaluate the use of age-clustered pooled faecal samples for monitoring worm control in horses. In total 109 horses, 57 on farm A and 52 on farm B, were monitored at weekly intervals between 6 and 14 weeks after ivermectin treatment. This was performed through pooled faecal samples of pools of up to 10 horses of the groups 'yearlings' (both farms), '2-year-old' (two pools in farm A), '3-year-old' (farm A) and adult horses (four pools on farm A and five pools on farm B), which were compared with the mean individual faecal egg counts of the same pools. ...
Lind EO, Rautalinko E, Uggla A, Waller PJ, Morrison DA, Höglund J.Virtually all horses are infected with helminth parasites. For some decades, the control of parasites of Swedish horses has been based on routine treatments with anthelmintics, often several times per year. Since anthelmintic resistance is becoming an increasing problem it is essential to develop more sustainable control strategies, which are adapted to different types of horse management. The aim of this study was to obtain information on practices used by Swedish horse owners for the control of endoparasites. Methods: A questionnaire with 26 questions about management practices and parasite ...
Traversa D, Klei TR, Iorio R, Paoletti B, Lia RP, Otranto D, Sparagano OA, Giangaspero A.In the present survey, 276 horses bred on 16 farms located in central and southern Italy were investigated for the presence of drug resistant cyathostomes by a Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT). Sixteen to 20 animals were selected on each farm and randomly assigned to one of four equally sized treatment groups. Groups were treated with fenbendazole, pyrantel pamoate, ivermectin or moxidectin. Resistance to fenbendazole was declared on six farms (37.5%) and suspected in two farms (12.5%), with FECR values ranging from 41% to 88.3%. Resistance to pyrantel was found in two farms (12.5%) and ...
Vidyashankar AN, Kaplan RM, Chan S.Resistance to anthelmintics in gastrointestinal nematodes of livestock is a serious problem and appropriate methods are required to identify and quantify resistance. However, quantification and assessment of resistance depend on an accurate measure of treatment efficacy, and current methodologies fail to properly address the issue. The fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) is the practical gold standard for measuring anthelmintic efficacy on farms, but these types of data are fraught with high variability that greatly impacts the accuracy of inference on efficacy. This paper develops a statis...
Abbott JB, Mellor DJ, Love S.Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) has previously been suggested as a means of assessing cyathostomin burdens in horses, although SPE used for that purpose is supported by little evidence. This clinical research report describes a study that objectively evaluated the use of SPE on a population of 38 horses following the administration of different anthelmintics. The population was subdivided into three groups, Groups F, M and P: 7.5 mg/kg bwt fenbendazole was administered to Group F on day -12; on day 0 0.4 mg/kg bwt moxidectin was administered to Group M and 19 mg/kg bwt pyrantel was adminis...
Cirak VY, Güleğen E, Yildirim F, Durmaz M.The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy and the so-called "egg reappearance period" (ERP) of doramectin in horses naturally infected with strongyles during a period of 34 weeks. A group of yearlings of 10 animals was treated intramuscularly with doramectin at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight (BW) at the begin of the grazing season. To obtain comparable data, another group of yearlings (n = 10) was treated orally with ivermectin at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg BW. Individual faecal samples were examined for strongyle egg counts per gram of faeces (EPG) in two-week intervals. T...
Lind EO, Kuzmina T, Uggla A, Waller PJ, Höglund J.The objective of the study was to investigate different aspects on the efficacy of three anthelmintics on cyathostomin nematodes of Swedish horses. A faecal egg count reduction (FECR) test was performed on 26 farms. Horses were treated orally with recommended doses of ivermectin, pyrantel pamoate or fenbendazole. Faecal samples were collected on the day of deworming and 7, 14 and 21 days later. No resistance was shown against ivermectin; the FECR was constantly >99%. The effect of pyrantel was assessed as equivocal in 6 farms 14 days after treatment; the mean FECR was 99%. As many as 72% of...
von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Fritzen B, Demeler J, Schürmann S, Rohn K, Schnieder T, Epe C.In 2003 and 2004, on a total of 63 different German horse farms, a survey using the faecal egg count reduction (FECR) test was performed to investigate the efficacy of ivermectin (IVM, Ivomec) and pyrantel (PYR, Banminth) treatment against gastro-intestinal nematodes in a total of 767 horses. IVM treatment resulted in 100% reduction of the cyathostomin egg production 14 and 21 days post-treatment (d.p.t.) on 37 farms. On the remaining five farms, the mean faecal egg count reduction ranged between 97.7 and 99.9%. The mean cyathostomin FECR following PYR treatment ranged between 92.2 and 100% on...
Roelfstra L, Betschart B, Pfister K.In a study on the seasonal dynamics of the gastro-intestinal nematode egg production in horses, one breeding farm also revealed a particularly high prevalence of Anoplocephala spp. infection. Consequently, this farm was chosen for analysing the seasonal pattern of the tapeworm egg excretion over a one year period in order to establish the most favourable periods for an appropriate and successful cestocidal treatment. The seasonal analysis showed a significantly higher (p < 0.05) Anoplocephala spp. egg excretion between July and October, i.e. during the second part of the grazing period. This r...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Rathgeber RA, Collins SS.Foals (79), born in 2004 on three thoroughbred horse farms (C, M, and S) in central Kentucky, were fed pyrantel tartrate daily, beginning at about 3 months of age. In addition, other parasiticides [fenbendazole (FBZ), ivermectin (IVM) alone or with praziquantel (PRAZ), oxibendazole (OBZ), pyrantel pamoate (PRT), and moxidectin (MOX)] were given periodically. All treatments were administered by farm personnel. Over a 14-month period, from May 2004 to July 2005, collections (n=989) of feces were made from the foals for determination of presence of internal parasite eggs/oocysts by qualitative an...
Slocombe JO, de Gannes RV, Lake MC.The aims of studies in 2002 and 2003 on three farms with 76 foals naturally infected with Parascaris equorum were to (i) identify if the nematode was resistant to ivermectin and moxidectin, and (ii) confirm the effectiveness of fenbendazole and pyrantel pamoate for the parasite. Twelve clinical trials, each with a Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test, were conducted on two Thoroughbred and one Standardbred farms in southwestern Ontario, Canada. In each trial, Parascaris eggs/g feces were estimated for each foal pre- and post-treatment using the Cornell-Wisconsin double flotation and Cornell-McMaster...
Eysker M, van Doorn DC, Lems SN, Weteling A, Ploeger HW.Due to excessive and inappropriate use of dewormers anthelmintic resistance has developed as a significant problem in horse parasites in the Netherlands. Since it is unlikely that new classes of anthelmintics against horse nematodes will be introduced in the near future, it is important to use the present drugs wisely. Veterinarians should advice horse owners about worm control programs with a more targeted approach. The number of anthelmintic treatments should be reduced and, through selective anthelmintic treatments, further development of anthelmintic resistance should be delayed. Preferabl...
Gawor J.The study was performed to evaluate intensity of strongylid infection in stabled tarpans using the method of collecting worms after anthelmintic treatment and in wild tarpans from Popielne reserve on the basis of faecal examination. After treatment with ivermectin 12 cyathostomes and one large strongyle species were recovered from the faeces of two tarpans. The most abundant cyathostome species were C. catinatum, C. pateratum, C. longibursatum, C. nassatum and C. coronatus. A higher intensity of infections with small strongyles (cyathostomes) was found in stabled group than in the group from t...
Kornas S, Nowosad B, Skalska M, Bołoz T.The studies were carried out in 2001 and 2002 on horses from riding clubs in Krakow area. On the basis of McMaster method EPG (eggs per gram) and prevalence of infection (%) was evaluated. The most common parasites were strongyles (Strongylidae). In the first year of study in dynamics of strongyles eggs output of horses kept on paddocks two peaks were observed: in May (450 EPG) and January (427 EPG), in comparison with horses under pasture system where the highest level of strongyles eggs output were in May (832 EPG), from August (420 EPG) to October (385 EPG) and in March (482 EPG). In the se...
Slocombe JO, de Gannes RV.Clinical trials using fecal egg count reduction tests and coproculture were conducted with yearlings and mares on a farm in 1997. Fecal samples were taken from each horse to estimate the number of strongyle eggs/g feces with Cornell-Wisconsin centrifugal flotation and Cornell-McMaster dilution techniques. Eleven of 15 yearlings, which had been on a daily feeding of grain with pyrantel tartrate for 66 d were found with strongyle eggs in feces. This was the first time the in-feed medication had been used on the farm. Nine yearlings were randomised into three groups; continuation of daily pyrante...
Marchiondo AA, White GW, Smith LL, Reinemeyer CR, Dascanio JJ, Johnson EG, Shugart JI.Clinical field trials were conducted at five geographical locations in the USA (Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia and Idaho) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pyrantel pamoate paste (19.13%, w/w, pyrantel base) administered at the recommended dosage of 13.2 mg pyrantel base/kg (6.0 mg pyrantel base/lb) body weight (b.w.) against tapeworm infections of Anoplocephala spp. in naturally infected horses. Horses at each study site were allocated by restricted randomization based on the cestode status (positive or negative) of pre-treatment fecal egg counts to complete sets of four animal...
Brazik EL, Luquire JT, Little D.16 horses treated daily with pyrantel tartrate (2.64 mg/kg [1.2 mg/lb], PO) as part of a prophylactic anthelmintic program. Results: Fecal worm egg counts (FWECs) were obtained on all 16 horses. Mean FWEC was 478 eggs/g (epg; range, 0 to 4,075 epg). Three of the 16 horses were responsible for 85% of the total fecal egg output for the herd on the day of sampling. Six horses had FWECs < 200 epg. Three horses that had arrived within 4 months of the sampling date had FWECs 100 epg (9 horses) were treated with pyrantel pamoate (6.6 mg/kg [3 mg/lb], PO), and 14 days later, the FWEC was repeated....
Coles GC, Jackson F, Pomroy WE, Prichard RK, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Silvestre A, Taylor MA, Vercruysse J.Before revised World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) guidelines on the detection of anthelmintic resistance can be produced, validation of modified and new methods is required in laboratories in different parts of the world. There is a great need for improved methods of detection of anthelmintic resistance particularly for the detection of macrocyclic lactone resistance and for the detection of resistant nematodes in cattle. Therefore, revised and new methods are provided here for the detection of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of ruminants, horses and ...
Cleale RM, Edmonds JD, Paul AJ, Reinemeyer CR, Chapman MR, Clem R, Meccoli RA, Tolliver SC, Amodie DM.Controlled trials with a common protocol were conducted in Idaho, Illinois and Tennessee to evaluate anthelmintic effectiveness of Quest Gel (QG; 2% moxidectin) against lumenal parasites in horses. Candidate horses were required to have naturally acquired nematode infections, as confirmed by presence of strongylid eggs in feces. At each site, 24 equids were blocked on the basis of pretreatment strongyle fecal egg counts (EPG) and randomly assigned to treatments within blocks. Within each block of two animals, one received QG on Day 0 at a dosage of 0.4 mg moxidectin/kg b.w. and one was an untr...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Collins SS.Fecal samples (n=1,584) for a parasite study were collected from Thoroughbred foals (n=349), 28 to 330 days old, on seven farms in central Kentucky during 49 monthly trips from May to October, November, or December 2004. The main purpose was to determine possible drug resistance of ascarids, also of strongyles, to ivermectin (IVM) and other commercially available compounds [fenbendazole, moxidectin (MOX), oxibendazole (OBZ), and pyrantel pamoate]. In addition, interest was on prevalence of foal parasites. Qualitative data were obtained by recording presence or absence of ascarid and strongyle ...
Slocombe JO.Aims of this study with 43 equids naturally infected with Anoplocephala perfoliata in two dose titration trials were to document (i) the usefulness of a critical test with a 48 h treatment to necropsy period, (ii) efficacy of an oral paste of 0.5-2.0 mg praziquantel/kg body weight, and (iii) when after treatment would fecal egg counts provide best estimates of the tapeworm's prevalence in a herd. All feces passed by an equid after treatment and collected in successive 12 h batches were examined for tapeworms. At necropsy, tapeworms were identified as attached to the mucosa or unattached. Tapew...
Nielsen MK, Monrad J, Olsen SN.In 1999, legislation in Denmark made anthelmintic drugs available only by prescription, and prohibited their use for routine, prophylactic treatment. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2004 to determine current strategies for surveillance and control of equine strongyles used in Danish equine veterinary practices. Eighty-seven of 170 (51.2%) registered equine veterinary practices responded. Ninety seven percent of the respondents used faecal egg counts for diagnosis and surveillance, and 41% used larval cultures. Logistic regression revealed that the use of larval cultures was positively ...
Gawor JJ.Autopsies and analyses of faecal samples from working horses have shown common occurrence of ascarids in foals, whereas 19.6% of adult horses have been found infected. No influence of season on EPG in adult horses has been found. Study based on faecal samples from stud horses has shown that 5-6-month old animals were most susceptible to the infection. 50% of foals have been found infected in spite of deworming with the use of bezimidazole compounds. It has been stated that the proper dose of an anthelminthic is a basic problem in the control of ascarids.
Herd RP, Majewski GA.Studies on a Thoroughbred breeding farm in Ohio were done to: (1) compare the effects of daily administration of pyrantel tartrate feed pellets with monthly administration of a pyrantel pamoate paste to yearling horses (21 January-3 September); (2) assess the effects of daily pyrantel tartrate given strategically in spring/summer to foaling mares (1 April-16 August) and given for a prolonged period to barren mares (21 January-3 September); (3) determine if strategic medication of foaling mares with daily pyrantel tartrate protected their foals until weaning. There were no differences in cyatho...
Dias De Castro LL, Oliveira Júnior GA, Perez BC, Carvalho ME, De Souza Ramos EA, Ferraz JBS, Molento MB.Cyathostomins are considered one of the most important parasites of horses. A group of horses within a herd can be responsible for eliminating the majority of parasite eggs. This phenotype might be explained by genetic factors. This study aimed to identify genomic regions associated with fecal egg count (FEC) and hematological parameters by performing a genomic-wide association study (GWAS) in Thoroughbred horses naturally infected with cyathostomins. Packed cell volume (PCV), differential leukocyte, and FEC were determined from 90 horses. All animals were genotyped using the Illumina Equine 7...
Borgsteede FH, Dvojnos GM, Kharchenko VA.The efficacy of treatment with cambendazole was tested in 1-year-old horses on a farm in Dubrovka, Ukraine. Thirty-five horses were treated. Their egg output was compared on the day of treatment and 14 days later with that of 33 untreated horses. Before treatment the mean number of eggs g-1 faeces was 614 in the controls and 766 in horses that had been treated. After 14 days the mean egg output in the controls was 580 and in the treated horses 369. This means a reduction of 54.5%. Only cyathostome larvae could be cultured from faeces collected after treatment. It can be concluded that benzimid...
Slocombe JO, Cote JF, McMillan I.Twenty-eight horses with a residual burden of strongyle eggs in the faces after treatment with mebendazole (MBZ) paste were treated with a suspension of either MBZ or oxibendazole (OBZ). Fecal samples were collected before and 14 days after these treatments. The number of strongyle eggs/g (epg) of feces for each horse was estimated using the Cornell-McMaster dilution and the Cornell-Wisconsin double centrifugation procedures. The epg for each horse was transformed using log (x + 1) and in an analysis of variance of the reduction in egg count for each horse on the logarithmic scale, there was a...
Cleale RM, Edmonds JD, Paul AJ, Reinemeyer CR, Chapman MR, Clem R, Meccoli RA, Tolliver SC, Amodie DM.Controlled trials with a common protocol were conducted in Idaho, Illinois and Tennessee to evaluate anthelmintic effectiveness of Quest Gel (QG; 2% moxidectin) against lumenal parasites in horses. Candidate horses were required to have naturally acquired nematode infections, as confirmed by presence of strongylid eggs in feces. At each site, 24 equids were blocked on the basis of pretreatment strongyle fecal egg counts (EPG) and randomly assigned to treatments within blocks. Within each block of two animals, one received QG on Day 0 at a dosage of 0.4 mg moxidectin/kg b.w. and one was an untr...
Rehbein S, Holste JE, Doucet MY, Fenger C, Paul AJ, Reinemeyer CR, Smith LL, Yoon S, Marley SE.The efficacy of an oral formulation of ivermectin plus praziquantel in the reduction of nematode and cestode egg counts in horses was assessed in 273 horses under field conditions at 15 sites in North America (n = 6) and Europe (n = 9). Horses were confirmed by fecal examination to have natural infections of strongyles (100%) and tapeworms (76%). Replicates of four horses were formed at each site, and in each replicate three animals received ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg body weight) plus praziquantel (1 mg/kg body weight) oral paste and one animal remained untreated or received vehicle paste. Fecal s...
Becher AM, Pfister K.In recent years more and more cases of anthelmintic resistant equine strongyles were reported. The latest developments are cases of resistance against macrocyclic lactones. In order to delay this process less anthelmintics and only those which have been previously tested for their efficacy on each individual farm should be used. During the grazing season 2008 faecal samples of 281 horses and 5 donkeys from 26 farms were analysed in the area of Salzburg. To 164 of these horses selective anthelmintic treatment was implemented. Every four weeks faecal samples from the 164 horses were quantitative...
Aromaa M, Hautala K, Oksanen A, Sukura A, Näreaho A.One-hundred-and-thirty-nine fecal samples were examined to assess the prevalence of Parascaris spp. and strongyle infections in two-year-old or younger horses in Finland. The owners of the horses were asked to answer an online questionnaire about the horses' environment and the management practices of the stable. The results of fecal examination and the survey were analyzed to evaluate the effect of different risk factors as ascertained by the survey on parasite prevalence. The prevalence of Parascaris spp. infections at 11.5% was lower than expected based on previous research and the strongyl...
Eysker M, van Doorn DC, Lems SN, Weteling A, Ploeger HW.Due to excessive and inappropriate use of dewormers anthelmintic resistance has developed as a significant problem in horse parasites in the Netherlands. Since it is unlikely that new classes of anthelmintics against horse nematodes will be introduced in the near future, it is important to use the present drugs wisely. Veterinarians should advice horse owners about worm control programs with a more targeted approach. The number of anthelmintic treatments should be reduced and, through selective anthelmintic treatments, further development of anthelmintic resistance should be delayed. Preferabl...
Lloyd S.Between 30 and 70 per cent of horses at 18 stables had their anthelmintic treatments withdrawn for a year. Three of the stables (group 1) had used no anthelmintics for many years, 10 (group 2) had treated their horses with anthelmintics approximately twice a year, and five (group 3) had used anthelmintics five to seven times a year. A total of 1068 samples of faeces were collected from the 267 untreated horses and faecal egg counts were carried out four times during the year. Overall 50.2 per cent of the samples contained less than 200 epg. When the four counts from individual horses were coll...
Cirak VY, Güleğen E, Yildirim F, Durmaz M.The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy and the so-called "egg reappearance period" (ERP) of doramectin in horses naturally infected with strongyles during a period of 34 weeks. A group of yearlings of 10 animals was treated intramuscularly with doramectin at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight (BW) at the begin of the grazing season. To obtain comparable data, another group of yearlings (n = 10) was treated orally with ivermectin at a dose rate of 0.2 mg/kg BW. Individual faecal samples were examined for strongyle egg counts per gram of faeces (EPG) in two-week intervals. T...
Elsener J, Villeneuve A.The impact of a late fall treatment on the spring rise of fecal egg counts was evaluated in a controlled study with Canadian horses treated with 2 different dewormers immediately after removal from pasture for winter housing. The horses were stabled until the end of the trial period. Seventeen weanlings, 20 yearlings, and 15 2-year-old horses located in Ontario, which were presumed to be naturally infected with cyathostomins after pasture grazing, were randomly allocated to either a group treated with 0.4 mg/kg of moxidectin and 2.5 mg/kg of praziquantel or a group treated with 0.2 mg/kg of iv...
Marchiondo AA, White GW, Smith LL, Reinemeyer CR, Dascanio JJ, Johnson EG, Shugart JI.Clinical field trials were conducted at five geographical locations in the USA (Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia and Idaho) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pyrantel pamoate paste (19.13%, w/w, pyrantel base) administered at the recommended dosage of 13.2 mg pyrantel base/kg (6.0 mg pyrantel base/lb) body weight (b.w.) against tapeworm infections of Anoplocephala spp. in naturally infected horses. Horses at each study site were allocated by restricted randomization based on the cestode status (positive or negative) of pre-treatment fecal egg counts to complete sets of four animal...
Dauparaitė E, Kupčinskas T, Hoglund J, Petkevičius S.Anthelmintic resistance (AR) in equine cyathostomins is being reported all over the world. In Lithuania, however, the last study on this subject was published more than fifteen years ago, thus little is known about the current situation. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that may associated with the development of AR on equine studs in Lithuania. A questionnaire containing seven open-ended and nine closed multiple-choice questions about worm control strategies, use of anthelmintic substances and stable management practices was posted to 71 randomly selected horse establishment...
Bauer C, Cirak VY, Hermosilla C, Okoro H.The efficacy of moxidectin was evaluated in young ponies naturally infected with gastrointestinal parasites. Eight animals were treated orally with moxidectin at 0.4 mg/kg bodyweight and eight received only the vehicle. They were all necropsied two weeks later. Faecal samples were examined daily for egg counts and larval cultures. Parasites were recovered from total faecal samples collected daily and from the gastrointestinal tracts at necropsy. Moxidectin reduced the strongyle egg counts by > 99 per cent from three days after treatment but some individuals remained positive for 10 days. Th...
Lem MF, Vincent KP, Pone JW, Joseph T.It is important to understand the biology and health impact of parasites affecting horses in the Western highlands of Cameroon. Objective: to evaluate the prevalence and intensity of infection of gastrointestinal helminths in these animals. Methods: A total of 894 horses (367 males and 527 females), and aged ≤1 to ≥7 years old were examined. A parasitological investigation of faeces was carried out using two techniques: concentration method of Full Born Willis (flotation in saturated solution of sodium chloride) and Mc Master Technique. Conclusions: From the results the overall prevalence ...
Drudge JH, Lyons ET, Swerczek TW, Tolliver SC.Cambendazole (CBZ) treatments (20 mg/kg) given at 8-week intervals were used for parasite control in a breeding band of ponies (n = 33 to 43) during the period July 1974 to August 1978. Pre- and posttreatment worm egg counts on feces were used to evaluate efficacy of treatments after every 2nd treatment interval by monitoring changes in strongyle egg counts. Initially, effective reductions (expressed as 92% to 96% fewer worm eggs) were lessened to 70% by the 9th treatment (18 months) and to 28% by the 12th treatment, and thereafter, they fluctuated between 0% and 38%. Critical tests on animals...
Mogg TD, Pollitt CC, Willmore JP, Thompson H.Three groups of horses and ponies (N = 13, 13 and 12) were treated with ivermectin paste (0.2 mg/kg p.o.), avermectin B1 solution (0.2 mg/kg p.o.), or fenbendazole suspension (10 mg/kg via nasogastric tube). The avermectin B1 was a 1% solution in a propylene glycolglycerol formal base. Faecal strongyle egg counts were performed before, and 14, 28, 42, 56 and 70 d, after treatment. Full-thickness skin biopsies from the neck, pectoral and umbilical regions were examined for Onchocera microfilaria before treatment, and again 14 and 70 d later. Ivermectin therapy produced a significant (P less tha...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Kuzmina TA, Dzeverin II, Nielsen MK, McDowell KJ.The main purpose of the research was to determine if three weekly samplings would produce consistent results for low strongyle egg shedders, generally associated with older horses. Strongyle egg counts per gram of feces (EPG) were done for 661 Thoroughbred mares on 14 farms in 2012-2013 once a week for three consecutive weeks. None of the mares had been treated with ivermectin or moxidectin for more than 90 days and with fenbendazole, oxibendazole, or pyrantel pamoate for more than 60 days. Strongyle EPG count data indicated that 38.3% of the mares were positive at first and second sampling, a...
McArthur CL, Handel IG, Robinson A, Hodgkinson JE, Bronsvoort BM, Burden F, Kaplan RM, Matthews JB.Cyathostomins are the most prevalent parasitic pathogens of equids worldwide. These nematodes have been controlled using broad-spectrum anthelmintics; however, cyathostomin resistance to each anthelmintic class has been reported and populations insensitive to more than one class are relatively commonplace. The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) is considered the most suitable method for screening anthelmintic sensitivity in horses, but is subject to variation and is relatively time-consuming to perform. Here, we describe a larval migration inhibition test (LMIT) to assess ivermectin (IVM)...
Christen G, Gerber V, van der Kolk JH, Frey CF, Fouché N.Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) has been associated with diminished immune response in aged horses. This prospective study hypothesised that this may result in increased strongyle egg shedding in affected animals and that horses treated with pergolide would have reduced fecal egg counts (eggs per gram, EPG) compared to placebo-treated animals. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations and EPG were tested in 48 horses. There were no significant differences in baseline EPG between horses with pre-clinical PPID and healthy controls. There was no significant difference in EPG ...
Rosanowski SM, Scott I, Sells PD, Rogers CW, Bolwell CF.There is growing concern worldwide regarding anthelmintic resistance in equine parasites. In order to improve parasite control practices and reduce the selection for resistant parasites, baseline data are required. Objective: To describe the current parasite management and control practices used for racehorses. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Thoroughbred and Standardbred trainers were surveyed online regarding demographics, parasite control methods, grazing management and quarantine, and the use of faecal egg counts (FEC), with questions stratified by horse type, i.e. racehorses (ho...
Merritt AM, Smith DA.The concentrations of acetate (C2), propionate (C3), isobutyrate (iC4), butyrate (nC4), isovalerate (iC5), and valerate (nC5) were measured in the feces of 16 clinically normal horses and 44 horses with chronic diarrhea of at least 1-month's duration. The diarrheal horses were categorized diagnostically as: (1) no discernible clinical abnormalities other than diarrhea and in some cases, weight loss (open); (2) clinical evidence of strongyle larval migrans; and (3) Salmonella organisms recovered from the feces. Osmolarity of the feces of 14 of the normal and 15 of the sick horses also was measu...
Davies JA, Schwalbach LM.The efficacy of ivermectin, fenbendazole, pyrantel pamoate and doramectin was evaluated under field conditions at 2 sites in the Free State Province of South Africa. The study involved 25 horses at each site, divided into 5 groups of equal size. Ivermectin, fenbendazole and pyrantel pamoate were administered orally at doses of 0.2, 10 and 19 mg/kg respectively. Doramectin was administered by intramuscular injection at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg. Treatment efficacy was based on the mean faecal egg count reduction 14 days post treatment. At site A a faecal egg count reduction of 100% was found after tr...
Wilkes EJA, Woodgate RG, Raidal SL, Hughes KJ.This study investigated the impact of variability in Parascaris spp. and strongyle faecal egg counts (FEC) from foals on treatment decision-making and detection of a patent infection. A single faecal sample was collected once daily for three days from 53 foals and a FEC was performed on three separate portions of each sample (total of nine egg counts per foal). Differences in the decision to administer an anthelmintic using the results of a single count (C), the mean of three (X¯) or nine counts (X¯) and the upper 5% confidence limit of the gamma confidence interval (CI) of the estimate of t...
Kuhnert-Paul Y, Schmäschke R, Daugschies A.Results of parasitological examination of faecal aliquots may vary between diagnostic laboratories. To examine whether inhomogeneous distribution of worm eggs in faecal samples is responsible for this observation, horse faeces provided for routine diagnosis of helminth infection were examined. Distribution of worm eggs was assessed by examining aliquots taken from different locations of the faecal sample by a combined sedimentation-flotation method (KSFV). In addition, it was tested, whether the homogenization of a larger amount (minimum of 40 g) of faeces before performing KSFV improved repro...
Francisco I, Sánchez JA, Cortiñas FJ, Francisco R, Mochales E, Arias M, Mula P, Suárez JL, Morrondo P, Díez-Baños P, Sánchez-Andrade R....The aim of this study was to assess, by a clinical trial, the efficacy of an ivermectin-based pour-on treatment against gastrointestinal parasitic nematodes in naturally infected horses using 2 groups of mature indigenous Pura Raza Galega grazing mares. Faecal and blood samples were collected individually over a 21 week period. Faeces were analysed by the coprological flotation, sedimentation and migration techniques. Changes in circulating blood cells were monitored over the study period. The administration of the ivermectin suppressed the egg-elimination of ascarids and pinworms throughout t...
Lumsden GG, Quan-Taylor R, Smith SM, Washbrooke IM.Three anthelmintic pastes were compared in terms of their ability to suppress the output of parasite eggs in the faeces of 108 grazing horses at four sites in Britain; the horses were treated once with either ivermectin, fenbendazole or pyrantel. At each site, the horses grazed together throughout the trials which took place during the summers of 1985 and 1986. The median periods before parasite eggs reappeared in faeces were 70 days for ivermectin, 14 days for fenbendazole and 39 days for pyrantel embonate. Geometric mean faecal egg counts in the groups treated with ivermectin and pyrantel we...
Eysker M, Boersema JH, Kooyman FN.The effect of three albendazole treatments at 5-week intervals, beginning at turnout in April, on cyathostome infections in Shetland ponies was compared with the effect of sequential treatments with albendazole, oxfendazole and oxibendazole. The results showed a substantial reduction in faecal egg output after the first albendazole treatment. Since faecal egg counts remained very low, no estimation of the effect of the second treatment was possible. The third treatment with albendazole and oxibendazole was followed by an increase in faecal egg counts to values of greater than 100 eggs g-1 with...
