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Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / A randomized triple blind trial to assess the effect of an a...
BMC veterinary research2011; 7; 1; doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-7-1

A randomized triple blind trial to assess the effect of an anthelmintic programme for working equids in Morocco.

Abstract: Gastro-intestinal parasitism has been identified as a significant cause of disease in working equids in many countries. This randomized triple-blind trial was designed to assess the impact of an anthelmintic treatment programme (using oral ivermectin and fenbendazole) comparing treated and placebo control populations of working donkeys, mules and horses in field conditions in Morocco. In particular, we assessed animal body weight and condition score, together with a questionnaire-based owner evaluation of number of subjective animal health parameters. Faecal worm egg count was also measured. Results: 239 animals completed the full study, 130 in the treatment group and 109 in the control group. Although the average animal weight increased during the study, this change was not significantly different between the two groups. Animals in the treatment group had a significantly lower strongyle worm egg count and increased in body condition score compared to animals in the control group at each examination during the study period. Owners of animals in the treatment group reported improvement in health and work ability and a beneficial effect on pruritus during the early period of the study. These differences in owner perception between treatment groups had disappeared in the latter stages of the study. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a routine anthelmintic treatment programme of three treatments annually can have a significant effect on faecal worm egg count. There may be beneficial consequences for the animal health and productivity. Further research on other populations of working equids in different environments would facilitate the objective planning of effective parasite control strategies for specific situations and provide better understanding of the likely clinical benefits of such programmes.
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Publication Date: 2011-01-05 PubMed ID: 21208398PubMed Central: PMC3022536DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-7-1Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article is about a study assessing the impact of an anthelmintic programme for working horses, donkeys, and mules in Morocco, which showed significant reduction in worm egg count and improved body condition in treated animals.

Objective of the Study

  • The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of an anthelmintic treatment program on working equids – horses, mules, and donkeys – under field conditions in Morocco.
  • This was a triple-blind randomized trial, which means neither the participants (or their owners, in this case), the researchers nor the individuals assessing the results knew which animals were in the treatment or control groups.
  • The program used oral ivermectin and fenbendazole, medications used to treat various types of worm infestations. This trial aimed to test these medications’ ability to enhance the animals’ health, including increasing their body weight and condition.

Methodology and Results

  • The study included 239 animals: 130 in the treatment group, which received the anthelmintic medication, and 109 in the control group, which were given a placebo.
  • Throughout the study period, the researchers examined the animals’ body weight, condition score, and fecal worm egg count. Animal owners also provided feedback on several subjective health parameters.
  • While both treated and untreated animals showed an increase in average weight, the difference was not statistically significant, indicating that the treatment did not significantly influence weight gain.
  • However, the researchers found that the treated animals had a substantially lower strongyle worm egg count and improved body condition score compared to the control group at each examination. This highlights the treatment’s effectiveness in reducing worm infestations and enhancing body condition.
  • Owners of the treated animals reported perceiving improvements in their animals’ health, productivity (work ability), and reduction in itching (pruritus) during the early stages of the study. However, these perceived differences waned as time progressed.

Conclusions and Future Implications

  • The research concludes that a routine anthelmintic treatment program can significantly impact the fecal worm egg count in working equids.
  • While there may be beneficial outcomes for the animals’ health and productivity, more comprehensive research is required. Studying different populations of working equids across various environments can help devise effective parasite control strategies for specific situations and improve understanding of these programs’ likely clinical benefits.

Cite This Article

APA
Crane MA, Khallaayoune K, Scantlebury C, Christley RM. (2011). A randomized triple blind trial to assess the effect of an anthelmintic programme for working equids in Morocco. BMC Vet Res, 7, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-7-1

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 7
Pages: 1

Researcher Affiliations

Crane, Michael A
  • Society for Protection of Animals Abroad, 14 John St, London, UK, WC1N 2EB, UK. michael@spana.org
Khallaayoune, Khalid
    Scantlebury, Claire
      Christley, Robert M

        MeSH Terms

        • Administration, Oral
        • Animals
        • Anthelmintics / administration & dosage
        • Body Weight / physiology
        • Double-Blind Method
        • Feces / parasitology
        • Fenbendazole / administration & dosage
        • Horse Diseases / parasitology
        • Horse Diseases / prevention & control
        • Horses
        • Ivermectin / administration & dosage
        • Morocco
        • Multivariate Analysis
        • Parasite Egg Count
        • Regression Analysis
        • Single-Blind Method
        • Surveys and Questionnaires

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        Citations

        This article has been cited 1 times.
        1. Haddy E, Burden F, Fernando-Martínez JA, Legaria-Ramírez D, Raw Z, Brown J, Kaminski J, Proops L. Evaluation of long-term welfare initiatives on working equid welfare and social transmission of knowledge in Mexico.. PLoS One 2021;16(5):e0251002.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251002pubmed: 33945552google scholar: lookup
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