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Topic:Parasites
Parasites are organisms that live on or within a host, deriving nutrients at the host's expense. In horses, parasitic infections can affect various systems, including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, and respiratory system. Common equine parasites include strongyles, ascarids, tapeworms, and bots. These parasites can lead to a range of health issues, from mild discomfort to severe disease, depending on the type and burden of the infestation. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the biology, life cycle, and impact of parasites on equine health, as well as strategies for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of parasitic infections in horses.
Evaluation of diagnostic techniques for Anoplocephala perfoliata in horses from Alberta, Canada. Accurate diagnosis of parasites within individual hosts remains a difficult task. Incorrect and/or inaccurate diagnosis restricts the potential for targeted treatment of individuals and limits our understanding of key epidemiological characteristics of potential pathogens of domestic stock. In this study, we compared the specificity and sensitivity of four diagnostic methods for determination of the presence and intensity of the cestode Anoplocephala perfoliata in horses. Over 400 horses from an abattoir in south-central Alberta were evaluated for the presence and number of cestodes. Thirty on...
Cystic echinococcosis due to Echinococcus equinus in a horse from southern Germany. In Europe, cystic echinococcosis is rare in horses and is mostly diagnosed at slaughter or postmortem examination. Equine cystic echinococcosis can be caused by various Echinococcus taxa, but only Echinococcus equinus (the "horse strain") is known to produce fertile cysts. In Europe, E. equinus appears to be endemic in Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, and Italy and has sporadically been reported in Belgium and Switzerland. The present report describes the first case of a molecularly confirmed E. equinus infection in a horse foaled and raised in Germany. The 19-year-old mare was presented for exa...
Are macrocyclic lactones useful drugs for the treatment of Parascaris equorum infections in foals? A study was carried out to assess the field efficacy of moxidectin (MOX) against Parascaris equorum in foals. A total of 70 foals from 2 Italian thoroughbred (Farms 1 and 2) stud farms and one trotter stud farm (Farm 3), aged 3-5 months and with faecal egg counts (FEC) f>or=300 eggs per gram (EPG) were included in the study. On each farm, foals were divided into 2 groups (of 10, 8 and 10 foals, respectively) and treated with either moxidectin (MOX, 400 mcg/kg b.w.) or ivermectin (IVM, 200 mcg/kg b.w.) on day 0 and examined for faecal count reduction (FECR) on day 14. Five, 4 and 5 foals, re...
Haemotrophic Mycoplasma infection in horses. Haemotrophic mycoplasmas (HM) are parasites on the surface of red blood cells and known to infect a wide range of animals. However, there are no previous evidences of HM infections in horses. In this study HM were detected for the first time in the blood of two horses suffering from poor performance, apathy, weight loss, and anaemia. Using a HM specific PCR assay and subsequent sequencing the infective agents isolated from the blood of said horses were confirmed as closely related to the HM species Mycoplasma haemofelis and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos'.
Prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in sport horses from Qazvin, Iran. In the present study, the prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in sport horses of Qazvin was examined using modified agglutination test (MAT). On 52 horse sera totally examined for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies, 37 horses (71.2%) were seropositive by MAT. Results of the present study showed a high rate of Toxoplasma infection in horses in Qazvin area. More comprehensive study on equine toxoplasmosis is recommended.
Determination of ivermectin efficacy against cyathostomins and Parascaris equorum on horse farms using selective therapy. Ivermectin resistance has recently been described in Parascaris equorum and there have been reports from several countries of a shortened egg reappearance period (ERP) following ivermectin treatment for cyathostomins. This study was aimed at determining the efficacy of ivermectin in treating cyathostomins and P. equorum in Danish horses. A total of 196 animals were selected from 52 farms, all of which were using a selective anthelmintic treatment strategy. ERP was investigated with weekly samples from 96 horses from nine farms. Horses were treated with ivermectin oral paste by their owners at ...
In vitro predatory activity of nematophagous fungi and after passing through gastrointestinal tract of equine on infective larvae of Strongyloides westeri. Three isolates of predator fungi Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001), Monacrosporium thaumasium (NF34), and Arthrobotrys robusta (I-31) were assessed in in vitro test regarding the capacity of prey infective larvae (L(3)) Strongyloides westeri. Compared to control, without fungus, there was a significant decrease (P 0.01) in vitro test. Linear regression coefficients of treated and control groups were -0.21 for control, -0.32 for D. flagrans, -0.34 for M. thaumasium, and -0.22 for A. robusta. In the following, isolates AC001 and NF34 were assessed in vivo regarding the capacity of supporting the pa...
Efficacy of Cymelarsan and Diminasan against Trypanosoma equiperdum infections in mice and horses. Trypanocidal sensitivity studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of Diminazene diaceturate (Diminasan) and Bis (aminoethylthio) 4-melaminophenylarsine dihydrochloride (Cymelarsan) against Trypanosoma equiperdum (isolated from two mares with chronic cases of dourine) 713/943 and 834/940 Dodola strains in experimentally infected mice and horses. Diminasan at doses from 3.5 mg/kg to 28 mg/kg and Cymelarsan at doses of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg body weight failed to cure any of the mice, indicating a clear dose dependent relationship in the mean time of relapse observed in mice. Indeed, mice ...
Check list of the helminths of equines in Turkey. Helminths of equines are one of the most important agents of parasitic diseases. Therefore, many studies have been conducted on helminths of equines in Turkey. In this article, a check list and prevalence rates of helminths of equines in Turkey have been given.
[A survey on anthelmintic resistance in Strongyles to ivermectin and pyrantel and macrocyclic lactone-resistance in Parascaris equorum]. This survey was carried out on a horse farm in order to acquire recent data on macrocyclic lactone-resistant Parascaris equorum which had been previously detected on this farm and to determine efficacies of ivermectin and pyrantel against strongyles in order to determine whether a resistance problem also exists in these parasites. In the first part of the study, abamectin was given to horses infected with P. equorum. In 11 out of 12 horses, zero efficacy (0%) was seen against P. equorum. Subsequently, horses which were Parascaris-positive after abamectin treatment received pyrantel pamoate and...
A PCR study of piroplasms in 166 dogs and 111 horses in France (March 2006 to March 2008). Positive PCR results for piroplasms were obtained on EDTA blood samples from 166 dogs and 111 horses between March 2006 and March 2008. The organisms were initially identified using common primers, followed by restriction enzyme profiles to determine the species and types of Babesia/Theileria. In 27 dogs and eight horses with positive results, the size of the specimen was insufficient to separate species/types. We identified Babesia canis canis in 105 of the 166 dogs (63%) and Theileria equi in 89 of the 111 horses (80%). Babesia caballi was also present, but rare, in only two Babesia/Theileri...
Selective anthelmintic therapy of horses in the Federal states of Bavaria (Germany) and Salzburg (Austria): an investigation into strongyle egg shedding consistency. For 9 consecutive months (March-November 2008), faecal samples were collected monthly from 129 horses residing within 40 km of Salzburg, Austria. Samples were analysed quantitatively using a modified McMaster egg counting technique. Whenever a faecal egg count (FEC) result exceeded 250 eggs per gram (EPG), the horse was treated with pyrantel, ivermectin or moxidectin. In 52 of 129 horses (40.3%), no strongyle eggs were ever detected over the course of 9 months. In 39 horses (30.2%), strongyle eggs were detected in at least 1 sample, but the egg count never exceeded 250 EPG. The remaining 38 (2...
Efficacy of pyrantel pamoate against a macrocyclic lactone-resistant isolate of Parascaris equorum in horses. The expanding prevalence of Parascaris equorum populations that are resistant to macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintics makes it desirable to identify dewormers which remain effective. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of pyrantel pamoate in 14 suckling foals that had been infected orally with approximately 600 larvated eggs of a P. equorum isolate selected for ML resistance (ML-R). Seventy days after inoculation, foals were weaned, housed individually, and fecal samples were examined frequently to detect the onset of patency. Between 73 and 80 days post-inoculation, all 14 foals deve...
Efficacy of pyrantel pamoate and ivermectin paste formulations against naturally acquired Oxyuris equi infections in horses. In recent years, numerous veterinary practitioners have reported anecdotal episodes in which anthelmintic treatment did not appear to deliver the expected efficacy against equine pinworms (Oxyuris equi). Anthelmintic resistance has not been demonstrated formally in equine pinworms, so a clinical study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of paste formulations of pyrantel pamoate or ivermectin against naturally acquired infections with O. equi. Twenty-one horses (>4 months to 15 years of age) with patent, naturally acquired pinworm infections were blocked by source of origin and allocated rand...
An open study to evaluate topical treatment of equine chorioptic mange with shampooing and lime sulphur solution. Chorioptic mange caused by Chorioptes bovis is a common pruritic skin condition of the horse. This surface-browsing parasite usually affects the lower legs (leg mange) but can present as a generalized skin disease. Numerous anecdotal reports exist in the literature about the benefit of lime sulphur as a treatment for surface ectoparasites in the horse. This report studies the use of lime sulphur when applied as a 5% solution, some with and some without prior shampooing and clipping, to treat confirmed cases of chorioptic mange in 22 horses. Horses included in the trial had clinical signs indic...
Biodiversity and distribution of helminths and protozoa in naturally infected horses from the biosphere reserve La Sierra Madre de Chiapas”, México. A cross sectional survey was performed to identify gastrointestinal helminths and protozoans in naturally infected horses from the biosphere reserve known as "La Sierra Madre de Chiapas", Mexico (El Triunfo and La Sepultura). During a three-year survey, fecal samples from 90 horses and parasites from 2 necropsied animals were collected. Five families from the Nematoda class: Ascaridae, Kathlanidae, Oxyuridae, Strongylidae and Trichostrongylidae were found, whereas, only one family from the class Cestoda, was observed: Anoplocephalidae. One family from the class Insecta, was observed: Gasteroph...
Seroprevalence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi in the Swiss horse population. In Switzerland, the prevalence and incidence of equine piroplasma parasite (EPP) infections are unknown. In order to obtain a first insight into the prevalence, a representative sample of 689 sera of horses from Switzerland was serologically tested for the presence of antibodies directed against T. equi and B. caballi using the Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT). A total of 50 (7.3%) horses were seropositive for EPP: overall, the seroprevalence of T. equi was significantly higher than that of B. caballi (p=0.002). The seropositivities in indigenous horses (animals bred and raised in Sw...
A seroepidemiological study of exposure to Toxoplasma, Leishmania, Echinococcus and Trichinella in equids in Greece and analysis of risk factors. The role of horses in the transmission of parasitic zoonoses either as a source of infection to vectors or through contamination of definitive hosts is gaining importance worldwide. For this reason sera from 773 equids including 753 horses, 13 mules and seven ponies in four regions of Greece were investigated by ELISA for the presence of IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma, Leishmania, Echinococcus and Trichinella. Anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were detected in all regions with an overall prevalence of 1.8%. In contrast, antibodies to Leishmania, Echinococcus, and Trichinella were present only in h...
ELISA-seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in draught horses in Greater Cairo, Egypt. Toxoplasma gondii is one of the important zoonotic parasites of worldwide. In this paper the seroprevalence of T. gondii in draught horses (3-15 years) including 90 males and 10 females in the first half of the year 2009 was studied. The result showed that the overall ELISA-T. gondii antibodies were 25% of the horses in Greater Cairo, 50% (females) and 22.2% (males).
Molecular detection of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in the bone marrow of asymptomatic horses. Equine piroplasmosis is a tick-borne disease, the aetiological agents of which are either Theileria equi or Babesia caballi parasites. Piroplasmosis is commonly encountered in acute or sub-acute clinical forms although clinically recovered horses may remain asymptomatic but infected for several years. The clinical detection of such apparently healthy carrier horses (that serve as a host for subsequent infecting ticks), remains a worldwide challenge for controlling the spread of the disease. The aim of the present paper is to report on the detection of both T. equi and B. caballi by PCR in the ...
Endoparasite control management on horse farms–lessons from worm prevalence and questionnaire data. Increasing prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in equine nematodes calls for a reexamination of current parasite control programmes to identify factors influencing control efficacy and development of resistance. Objective: To investigate if associations occur between prevalence of parasitic nematodes and management practices. Methods: German horse farms (n = 76) were investigated in 2003 and 2004. Information on farm and pasture management with respect to endoparasite control measures obtained using a questionnaire survey. Faecal examinations were performed in parallel. Results: Horses (n = ...
Comparative plasma disposition, bioavailability and efficacy of ivermectin following oral and pour-on administrations in horses. Pour-on formulations of endectocides decrease the risk of injury for both user and animal, and are particularly convenient for animal owners who can apply the product. This study was designed to investigate the plasma disposition and efficacy of ivermectin (IVM) following pour-on, per os and intravenous administrations. Eighteen female horses weighing 510-610 kg were used in this study. The animals were allocated into three groups (per os, pour-on and intravenous groups). The equine paste, bovine pour-on and bovine injectable formulations of IVM were administered orally, topically and intraven...
An unexpected advantage of whiteness in horses: the most horsefly-proof horse has a depolarizing white coat. White horses frequently suffer from malign skin cancer and visual deficiencies owing to their high sensitivity to the ultraviolet solar radiation. Furthermore, in the wild, white horses suffer a larger predation risk than dark individuals because they can more easily be detected. In spite of their greater vulnerability, white horses have been highly appreciated for centuries owing to their natural rarity. Here, we show that blood-sucking tabanid flies, known to transmit disease agents to mammals, are less attracted to white than dark horses. We also demonstrate that tabanids use reflected pola...
Fecal egg counts after anthelmintic administration to aged horses and horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. To determine effects of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (Cushing's disease) and age on fecal egg count and time to egg reappearance after anthelmintic treatment in horses residing in similar environments. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 29 healthy horses (4 to 35 years old) and 13 horses with PPID (13 to 33 years old). Methods: Fecal egg counts were performed by use of a modified Wisconsin flotation method at 2-week intervals before and after ivermectin treatment. Results: Horses with PPID had higher fecal egg counts before and 8, 10, and 12 weeks after ivermectin treatment, com...
Increased parasite resistance and recurrent airway obstruction in horses of a high-prevalence family. Equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) shares many characteristics with human asthma. In humans, an inverse relationship between susceptibility to asthma and resistance to parasites is suspected. Objective: Members of a high-incidence RAO half-sibling family (F) shed fewer strongylid eggs compared with RAO-unaffected pasture mates (PM) and that RAO-affected horses shed fewer eggs than RAO-unaffected half-siblings. Methods: Seventy-three F and 73 unrelated, age matched PM. Methods: Cases and controls kept under the same management and deworming regime were examined. Each individual was class...
Spatial niche competition among helminth parasites in horse’s large intestine. The spatial distribution of large intestinal helminth parasites of 50 horses was studied. Both adult and mucosal larval stages were examined and counted within the ventral colon, dorsal colon and caecum. Thirty-three species of adult parasites were identified and their distribution in the three large intestinal regions reported, together with the localization of cyathostome encysted larvae and of empty mucosal cysts. In order to highlight interspecific interactions, both Spearman pairwise correlation (among all parasites) and multivariable negative binomial regression (among the most abundant ...
Seroprevalence of equine piroplasms and host-related factors associated with infection in Greece. Serum samples were collected from a total of 544 equids that included 524 horses, 13 mules, and 7 ponies from various regions of mainland Greece and were examined by competitive-inhibition ELISA (cELISA) to evaluate the level of exposure of Greek equids to Theileria (Babesia) equi and/or Babesia caballi, the causative agents of piroplasmosis. Association between seropositivity and host-related factors of species, gender, age, origin, activity and location were investigated. The overall seroprevalence was 11.6% (9.1-14.6%) with 95% confidence limit. The seroprevalence for T. equi and B. caballi...
[The case of the nematode Setaria equina found in the vaginal sac of the stallion’s scrotum]. The nematode Setaria equina usually reside in body cavities and do not cause clinical symptoms. From time to time, however, these parasites can be located in the scrotum and spermatic cord inflicting pain and edema in these body parts. The aim of the study was to describe the case of the nematode Setaria equina found in the vaginal sac of the stallion's scrotum. During the study, thorough examination of 50 isolated testicles of 25 stallions was conducted. The horses were obtained post-slaughter from the local slaughterhouse near Krakow. In one of examined stallions, two females of Setaria equi...
