Topic:Grazing

Molecular species determination of cyathostomins from horses in Ireland.
Veterinary parasitology    March 15, 2024   Volume 328 110168 doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110168
Byrne O, Gangotia D, Crowley J, Zintl A, Kiser L, Boxall O, McSweeney D, O'Neill F, Dunne S, Lamb BR, Walshe N, Mulcahy G.Cyathostomins are globally important equine parasites, responsible for both chronic and acute pathogenic effects. The occurrence of mixed infections with numerous cyathostomin species hinders our understanding of parasite epidemiology, host-parasite dynamics, and species pathogenicity. There have been few studies of cyathostomin species occurring in horses in Ireland, where temperate climatic conditions with year-round rainfall provide suitable conditions for infection of grazing animals with bursate nematodes. Here, we amplified and sequenced the ITS-2 region of adult worms harvested at post-...
Prevalence and potential risk factors for Cryptosporidium spp. infection in horses from Egypt.
Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases    February 9, 2024   Volume 106 102140 doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2024.102140
Alruhaili MH, Marzok M, Gattan HS, Salem M, Kandeel M, Selim A.Cryptosporidium is an intestinal protozoan that cause diarrhea in livestock all over the world and have zoonotic importance. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in horses in Egypt and evaluate the associated risk factors. A total of 420 fecal samples were collected from three governorates (Giza, Kafr ElSheikh and Qalyubia) and examined microscopically using Ziehl-Neelsen staining method. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 29% and Kafr ElSheikh governorate had the highest rate in comparison to other areas. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium...
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) reduces cyathostomin egg excretion and larval development in grazing horses.
International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance    February 9, 2024   Volume 24 100523 doi: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100523
Malsa J, Boudesocque-Delaye L, Wimel L, Auclair-Ronzaud J, Dumont B, Mach N, Reigner F, Guu00e9gnard F, Chereau A, Serreau D, Thu00e9ry-Konu00e9 I....Cyathostomins are the most prevalent parasitic nematodes of grazing horses. They are responsible for colic and diarrhea in their hosts. After several decades of exposure to synthetic anthelmintics, they have evolved to become resistant to most compounds. In addition, the drug-associated environmental side-effects question their use in the field. Alternative control strategies, like bioactive forages, are needed to face these challenges. Among these, chicory (Cichorium intybus, Puna II cultivar (cv.)) is known to convey anthelmintic compounds and may control cyathostomins in grazing horses. To ...
New Pathophysiological Insights from Serum Proteome Profiling in Equine Atypical Myopathy.
ACS omega    January 29, 2024   Volume 9, Issue 6 6505-6526 doi: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06647
Kruse CJ, Dieu M, Renaud B, Franu00e7ois AC, Stern D, Demazy C, Burteau S, Boemer F, Art T, Renard P, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is a severe environmental intoxication linked to the ingestion of protoxins contained in seeds and seedlings of the sycamore maple () in Europe. The toxic metabolites cause a frequently fatal rhabdomyolysis syndrome in grazing horses. Since these toxic metabolites can also be present in cograzing horses, it is still unclear as to why, in a similar environmental context, some horses show signs of AM, whereas others remain clinically healthy. Label-free proteomic analyses on the serum of 26 diseased AM, 23 cograzers, and 11 control horses were performed to provide i...
An inventory of grassland use on horse farms.
Journal of equine veterinary science    January 26, 2024   105011 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105011
Siede C, Komainda M, Tonn B, Wolter SMC, Schmitz A, Isselstein J.Horses can contribute to the maintenance of grassland. To determine the potential contribution of grassland to horse nutrition, we investigated the seasonal variation of herbage on offer and its nutritional quality in an inventory on six practical horse farms in Central Germany during 2019. On all horse-grazed pastures compressed sward height (CSH) was measured monthly and converted into aboveground herbage (AGH) to allocated short and tall grass sward areas (area-specific) via calibration cuts. In addition, four focus pastures were selected for monthly obtained area-specific herbage quality s...
Worm control practices used by Thoroughbred horse managers in Australia: A national survey.
Veterinary parasitology    January 12, 2024   Volume 327 110116 doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110116
Abbas G, Bauquier J, Beasley A, Jacobson C, El-Hage C, Wilkes EJA, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Hurley J, Beveridge I, Nielsen MK, Hughes KJ, Stevenson MA....This study assessed worm control practices used by Australian Thoroughbred farm managers with an online questionnaire survey. The questionnaire comprised 52 questions (close-ended: 44; open-ended: 8) about farm demography and general husbandry practices, farm managers' knowledge of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) and their importance, diagnosis, worm control strategies and anthelmintics, anthelmintic resistance (AR) and grazing management. Following the pilot survey, the link for the questionnaire survey was sent to all (n = 657) registered members of the Thoroughbred Breeders Australia on ...
Gastrointestinal parasite community structure in horses after the introduction of selective anthelmintic treatment strategies.
Veterinary parasitology    December 25, 2023   Volume 326 110111 doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.110111
Halvarsson P, Grandi G, Hu00e4gglund S, Hu00f6glund J.A relatively new method to study the species richness and diversity of nematode parasites in grazing animals is to perform deep sequencing on composite samples containing a mixture of parasites. In this work, we compared species composition of strongyles in two groups of horses as a function of egg count and age, based on a DNA barcoding approach. Faecal egg counts and larval cultures were obtained from nearly 300 horses, i.e., domestic horses (n = 167) and trotters (n = 130) sampled nationwide. The second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) of strongyle nematodes in the larval cultu...
Prevalence and seasonal dynamic of gastrointestinal parasites in equids in France during two years.
Preventive veterinary medicine    December 23, 2023   Volume 223 106100 doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106100
Grazing equids are constantly exposed to three clinically important gastrointestinal parasites (small strongyles/cyathostomins, Anoplocephala spp. and Parascaris spp.). Knowledge of the local seasonal dynamic of these parasitic infections is important for constructing a sustainable parasite control program with a rational number of anthelmintic treatments. However, studies describing these patterns are sparse in France. In this context, a two-year study was carried out to assess i) the seasonal dynamic and variability of strongyle faecal egg counts (FEC) and infective larvae (L3) counts on pas...
Seroprevalence and risk factors for Neospora spp. infection in equine in Egypt.
Scientific reports    November 19, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 1 20242 doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47601-y
Alshammari A, Gattan HS, Marzok M, Selim A.Neospora infections in equine are associated with reproductive disorders and neurological diseases. Nevertheless, Egypt has no epidemiological information on this parasite in equine. This study determined the prevalence of Neospora spp. infection in 325 equines from three Egyptian governorates located at Northern Egypt using cELISA. The prevalence of antibodies against Neospora spp. was 19% (95% CI: 14.09-25.05) in horse, 34.1% (95%CI: 24.92-44.69) in donkey and 26.7% (95% CI: 15.97-41.04) in mule. In comparison to horse, donkey had a considerably higher chance of contracting Neospora spp. in...
Demonstration of reduced efficacy against cyathostomins without change in species composition after pyrantel embonate treatment in Swedish equine establishments.
International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance    November 14, 2023   Volume 23 78-86 doi: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2023.11.003
Hedberg Alm Y, Halvarsson P, Martin F, Osterman-Lind E, Tu00f6rngren V, Tydu00e9n E.Consisting of approximately 50 different species, the cyathostomin parasites are ubiquitous in grazing horses. Co-infection with several species is common, and large burdens can cause the fatal disease of larval cyathostominosis. Due to intense anthelmintic drug use, cyathostomin resistance has developed to all available anthelmintic drug groups. Resistance to the anthelmintic drug pyrantel (PYR) has been documented in over 90% of studies published over the past two decades. In Sweden, a study performed in the early 2000s only confirmed resistance in 4.5% of farms. Further, prescription-only a...
Changes in the nutrient profile and the load of mycotoxins, phytoestrogens, and pesticides in horse pastures during spring and summer in Austria.
Journal of equine veterinary science    November 3, 2023   Volume 131 104958 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104958
Son V, Penagos-Tabares F, Hollmann M, Khiaosa-Ard R, Sulyok M, Krska R, Zebeli Q.Pastures are used for grazing and the production of conserved roughage in horses. Yet, the nutritional profile of the forage varies from spring to late summer, affecting equine nutrient supply and health. In addition, environmental factors may also favor plant contaminants such as mycotoxins. This study aimed to determine the nutritional profile and contaminant load of selected horse pastures from early spring till late summer. The nutrient composition (main macronutrients, macro elements and trace elements), as well as mycotoxins, metabolites, pesticides, and plant-derived compounds of seven ...
Assessment of worm control practices recommended by equine veterinarians in Australia.
Frontiers in veterinary science    November 3, 2023   Volume 10 1305360 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1305360
Abbas G, Stevenson MA, Bauquier J, Beasley A, Jacobson C, El-Hage C, Wilkes EJA, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Hurley J, Beveridge I, Nielsen MK, Hughes KJ....This study aimed to assess Australian veterinarians' knowledge, perceptions and treatment strategies for worm control in horses with an online questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised 64 questions covering various aspects of: (i) veterinary practice; (ii) the veterinarian's knowledge of gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) and the importance of parasites in different age groups of horses; (iii) the diagnosis and control of worms; (iv) anthelmintics and anthelmintic resistance (AR); (v) grazing management; and (vi) the means of communication and the discussion between veterinarians and their cli...
Strip grazing: Changes in biomass, nutrient content and digestibility of temperate, midsummer pasture by strip-grazed or ‘free’-grazing ponies, over 4 weeks.
Journal of equine veterinary science    October 27, 2023   Volume 131 104957 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104957
Longland AC, Barfoot C, Harris PA.The digestibility and nutritive values of pastures that were either freely or strip-grazed for 28 days were compared. Twelve ponies were individually grazed in adjacent, 10 m wide, rectangular paddocks. On day -1, each paddock length was adjusted to contain a 28-day supply of herbage DM at 1.5 % of pony BW/d. Ponies, (4/treatment) either accessed the entire 28-day supply from day 1 (TA), or gradually via strip-grazing treatments, SG1 and SG2. SG1 had a 'lead' fence spanning the paddock width that from day 3 was moved forward 1/26th of the paddock length daily, whereas SG2 had an additional 'b...
The Use of Innovative Diagnostics to Inform Sustainable Control of Equine Helminth Infections.
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)    October 11, 2023   Volume 12, Issue 10 1233 doi: 10.3390/pathogens12101233
Matthews JB, Peczak N, Lightbody KL.Helminths are commonly found in grazing equids, with cyathostomin nematodes and the cestode being the most prevalent. Most horses harbour low burdens of these parasites and do not develop signs of infection; however, in a small number of animals, high burdens can accumulate and cause disease. Cyathostomins are associated with a syndrome known as larval cyathostominosis. This occurs when large numbers of larvae emerge from the large intestinal wall. This disease has a case fatality rate of up to 50%. infection has been associated with various types of colic, with burdens of >20 worms assoc...
Habitat use by semi-feral Konik horses on wetlands-three-year GPS study.
Environmental monitoring and assessment    August 11, 2023   Volume 195, Issue 9 1033 doi: 10.1007/s10661-023-11605-y
Anna C, Martyna P, Marcin S, Dawid W.Free-ranging grazers are increasingly being introduced to areas of high natural value, such as wetlands. There is also growing attention that has been paid to the historical role of herbivores in shaping ecosystems and landscapes. Even though studies on the grazing of free-range horses were carried out in different regions and climates, still little is known about their habitat selection on heterogeneous marshy areas in the temperate region of Europe. The aim of this study was to investigate the habitat use by contemporary Konik horses during the growing season on the basis of three-year GPS d...
Fecal Microbiota and Diet Composition of Buryatian Horses Grazing Warm- and Cold-Season Grass Pastures.
Microorganisms    July 30, 2023   Volume 11, Issue 8 1947 doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11081947
Zaitseva S, Dagurova O, Radnagurueva A, Kozlova A, Izotova A, Krylova A, Noskov S, Begmatov S, Patutina E, Barkhutova DD.The Buryatian horse is an ancient breed and, as an indigenous breed, they have unique adaptive abilities to use scarce pastures, graze in winter, and survive in harsh conditions with minimal human care. In this study, fecal microbiota of Buryatian horses grazing in the warm and cold seasons were investigated using NGS technology on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We hypothesized that the composition of microbial communities in the feces of horses maintained on pasture would change in the different seasons, depending on the grass availability and different plant diets. We conducted microhistologic...
Effect of Supplementary Feeding on Milk Volume, Milk Composition, Blood Biochemical Index, and Fecal Microflora Diversity in Grazing Yili Mares.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    July 26, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 15 2415 doi: 10.3390/ani13152415
Lu H, Zhang W, Sun S, Mei Y, Zhao G, Yang K.Grazing is a common approach to rearing. We investigated the effects of supplementation during grazing on milk yield and composition, blood biochemistry, and fecal microflora in horses. The control mares grazed normally, while those in groups I and II received 1 kg/d of concentrate and 1 kg/d of concentrate + 0.4 kg/d of coated FA, respectively. Milk volumes were significantly higher in groups I and II than in the control group, and among the previous two, milk volumes were significantly higher in group II than in group I. Milk fat, lactose, and protein levels were significantly higher in gro...
Does housing system affect horse welfare? The AWIN welfare assessment protocol applied to horses kept in an outdoor group-housing system: The ‘parcours’.
Animal welfare (South Mimms, England)    February 27, 2023   Volume 32 e22 doi: 10.1017/awf.2023.9
Dai F, Dalla Costa E, Minero M, Briant C.Outdoor group housing is generally reported as being beneficial to the welfare of horses compared to single boxes, being considered to show greater similarities with the living conditions of feral horses, allowing full expression of behaviours such as grazing, social interactions and free movement. However, concerns persist regarding the ability to maintain a good nutritional state and the possibility of acquiring injury. No data reporting a comprehensive assessment of welfare for horses in outdoor group-housing systems are currently available. The present study aimed at applying a scientifica...
Welfare of extensively managed Swedish Gotland ponies.
Animal welfare (South Mimms, England)    February 23, 2023   Volume 32 e21 doi: 10.1017/awf.2023.20
Viksten SM, Hartmann E, Schneller K, Steen M.It has been suggested that grazing horses could be used as a credible tool for landscape conservation which would, at the same time, improve horse welfare as opposed to conventional housing. A study was conducted between May 2014 and April 2015 on 12 one year old Gotland ponies managed extensively without supplementary feed. Monthly animal welfare assessments (n = 13) revealed welfare issues in most of the horses, i.e. low body condition score (BCS < 3/5), recurring poor skin condition in 11/12 horses and ocular discharge in 7/12 horses. At the end of the study, compared to the beginning, ch...
Fecal Microbiota, Forage Nutrients, and Metabolic Responses of Horses Grazing Warm- and Cool-Season Grass Pastures.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    February 22, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 5 790 doi: 10.3390/ani13050790
Weinert-Nelson JR, Biddle AS, Sampath H, Williams CA.Integrating warm-season grasses into cool-season equine grazing systems can increase pasture availability during summer months. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of this management strategy on the fecal microbiome and relationships between fecal microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses of grazing horses. Fecal samples were collected from 8 mares after grazing cool-season pasture in spring, warm-season pasture in summer, and cool-season pasture in fall as well as after adaptation to standardized hay diets prior to spring grazing and at the end of the grazing seaso...
Contrasting seasonal patterns in diet and dung-associated invertebrates of feral cattle and horses in a rewilding area.
Molecular ecology    February 6, 2023   Volume 32, Issue 8 2071-2091 doi: 10.1111/mec.16847
Thomassen EE, Sigsgaard EE, Jensen MR, Olsen K, Hansen MDD, Svenning JC, Thomsen PF.Trophic rewilding is increasingly applied in restoration efforts, with the aim of reintroducing the ecological functions provided by large-bodied mammals and thereby promote self-regulating, biodiverse ecosystems. However, empirical evidence for the effects of megafauna introductions on the abundance and richness of other organisms such as plants and invertebrates, and the mechanisms involved still need strengthening. In this study, we use environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding of dung from co-existing feral cattle and horses to assess the seasonal variation in plant diet and dung-associated a...
The Amelioration of Grazing through Physiological Integration by a Clonal Dune Plant.
Plants (Basel, Switzerland)    February 6, 2023   Volume 12, Issue 4 724 doi: 10.3390/plants12040724
Evans JP, Meckstroth S, Garai J.Rhizomatous growth and associated physiological integration can allow a clonal dune species to potentially compensate for the selective removal of leaves associated with herbivory. is a rhizomatous clonal plant species that is abundant in the coastal dune environments of the southeastern United States that are inhabited by large feral horse populations. has been shown to integrate resources among ramets within extensive clones as an adaptation to resource heterogeneity in sandy soils. In this study, we hypothesized that clonal integration is a mechanism that promotes persistence in these co...
The effect of harvest time of forage on carbohydrate digestion in horses quantified by in vitro and mobile bag techniques.
Journal of animal science    December 29, 2022   Volume 101 skac422 doi: 10.1093/jas/skac422
Stang FL, Bjerregaard R, Mu00fcller CE, Ergon u00c5, Halling M, Thorringer NW, Kidane A, Jensen RB.Carbohydrates in forages constitute an important part of the feed ration for all horses. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of harvest time on carbohydrate composition and digestion of various grass species. The experiment was divided into three parts 1) characterization of the chemical composition of experimental feeds (6 grass species: meadow fescue [MF], cocksfoot [CF], perennial ryegrass [PR], smooth bromegrass [SB], tall fescue [TF], and timothy [TI], and 3 harvest times: early, medium, and late first cut), 2) measurements of the in vitro digestion of selected expe...
Prevalence and genetic characterization of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in grazing horses in Xinjiang, northwestern China.
Parasitology research    December 12, 2022   Volume 122, Issue 2 387-394 doi: 10.1007/s00436-022-07749-4
Wu J, Cui Y, Yu F, Muhatai G, Tao D, Zhao A, Ning C, Qi M.Piroplasmosis is a disease that negatively affects equine health worldwide. Hence, 324 blood samples were collected from grazing horses in ten sites in Xinjiang and testing them for the presence of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi by PCR of the EMA-1 gene and BC48 gene, respectively. Of the 324 blood samples, 161 (49.7%) were positive for equine piroplasms. The prevalence of T. equi was 38.9% (126/324), while that of B. caballi was 30.2% (98/324). The T. equi and B. caballi co-infection rate was 19.4% (63/324). From the 126 EMA-1 gene sequences and 98 BC48 gene sequences we obtained, 21 and ...
Evaluation of Strategies to Reduce Equine Strongyle Infective Larvae on Pasture and Study of Larval Migration and Overwintering in a Nordic Climate.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    November 10, 2022   Volume 12, Issue 22 3093 doi: 10.3390/ani12223093
Osterman-Lind E, Hedberg Alm Y, Hassler H, Wilderoth H, Thorolfson H, Tydu00e9n E.Horses, as grazing animals, are inadvertently exposed to intestinal parasites that, if not controlled, may cause disease. However, the indiscriminate use of anthelmintic drugs has led to drug resistance, highlighting the need for pasture-management practices to reduce the level of parasitic exposure and lessen reliance on drugs. The efficacy of such methods depends both on the epidemiology of the parasites and the prevailing weather conditions. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of faecal removal and harrowing on reducing the number of parasite larvae in herbage. Moreover, the ...
Animal board invited review: Grassland-based livestock farming and biodiversity.
Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience    October 21, 2022   Volume 16, Issue 12 100671 doi: 10.1016/j.animal.2022.100671
Fraser MD, Vallin HE, Roberts BP.Grasslands dominate land cover nationally and globally, and their composition, structure and habitat value are strongly influenced by the actions of domestic and wild grazing animals that feed on them. Different pastures are characterised by varying opportunities for selective feeding by livestock; agronomically improved, sown swards generally consist of a limited range of plant species whereas longer-term leys and semi-natural grasslands are characterised by a more diverse mixture of plants. In the case of botanically diverse permanent pastures/grazing lands, the dietary preferences of differ...
Undetectable vitamin D3 in equine skin irradiated with ultraviolet light.
Journal of equine science    September 21, 2022   Volume 33, Issue 3 45-49 doi: 10.1294/jes.33.45
Azarpeykan S, Gee EK, Thompson KG, Dittmer KE.Vitamin D requirements for most animals are expected to be fulfilled through daily exposure of the skin to solar ultraviolet B radiation. The synthesis of vitamin D in skin depends on different factors including melanin pigmentation, the amount of UVB radiation reaching the skin, type of clothing/hair coat, latitude and altitude, season, and time of day. Alternatively vitamin D may be obtained from UVB irradiated pasture species. Recent studies have shown that in unsupplemented grazing horses 25-hydroxyvitamin D is the predominant form of vitamin D in plasma, and that 25OHD is undetectable sug...
Non-native grazers affect physiological and demographic responses of greater sage-grouse.
Ecology and evolution    September 20, 2022   Volume 12, Issue 9 e9325 doi: 10.1002/ece3.9325
Behnke T, Street P, Davies S, Ouyang JQ, Sedinger JS.Non-native ungulate grazing has negatively impacted native species across the globe, leading to massive loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Despite their pervasiveness, interactions between non-native grazers and native species are not fully understood. We often observe declines in demography or survival of these native species, but lack understanding about the mechanisms underlying these declines. Physiological stress represents one mechanism of (mal)adaptation, but data are sparse. We investigated glucocorticoid levels in a native avian herbivore exposed to different intensities of ...
The effect of season, management and endocrinopathies on vitamin D status in horses.
Equine veterinary journal    September 2, 2022   Volume 55, Issue 4 672-680 doi: 10.1111/evj.13873
Dosi MCMC, McGorum BC, Kirton RD, Cillu00e1n-Garcu00eda E, Mellanby RJ, Keen JA, Hurst EA, Morgan RA.Vitamin D deficiency is common in humans and is increasingly linked to the pathogenesis of a multitude of diseases including obesity and metabolic syndrome. The biology of vitamin D in horses is poorly described; the relative contribution of the diet and skin synthesis to circulating concentrations is unclear and associations with the endocrine disease have not been explored. Objective: To determine the relationship between management, season and endocrine disease and vitamin D status in horses. Methods: Cross-sectional cohort study. Methods: Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH...
Horses wait for more and better rewards in a delay of gratification paradigm.
Frontiers in psychology    July 22, 2022   Volume 13 954472 doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.954472
Brucks D, Hu00e4rterich A, Ku00f6nig von Borstel U.Self-control, defined as the ability to forgo immediate satisfaction in favor of better pay-offs in the future, has been extensively studied, revealing enormous variation between and within species. Horses are interesting in this regard because as a grazing species they are expected to show low self-control whereas its social complexity might be linked to high self-control abilities. Additionally, self-control may be a key factor in training and/or coping with potentially stressful husbandry conditions. We assessed horses' self-control abilities in a simplified delay of gratification test that...
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