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Home / Equine Research Bank / Acta Vet Scand / Anthelmintic resistance of horse strongyle nematodes to iver...
Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2021; 63(1); 5; doi: 10.1186/s13028-021-00569-z

Anthelmintic resistance of horse strongyle nematodes to ivermectin and pyrantel in Lithuania.

Abstract: With intensive use of anthelmintic drugs in recent decades, anthelmintic resistance (AR) in horse nematodes is becoming a growing issue in many countries. However, there is little available information about the parasites, treatment practices or AR in the horse population in Lithuania. The aim of this study was to assess the current situation of AR on horse farms in Lithuania. The study was conducted in 25 stables on horses with a strongyle faecal egg count (FEC) of ≥ 200 eggs per gram. A faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was performed on each farm after administration of ivermectin (IVM) or pyrantel (PYR). Results: The efficacy of IVM was comparatively high, with 98.8% of 250 horses having a zero egg count 14 days after treatment. Two conditions were used to interpret the FECRT results for PYR: firstly, resistance was determined when FECR was < 90% and the lower 95% confidence interval (LCL) was < 80%, and secondly when in addition the upper confidence level (UCL) was < 95%. Under the first condition, resistance against PYR was found in five stables (25% of all tested herds), while when considering the UCL as well, resistance was only detected in two stables (8%). The FEC showed a significant (P < 0.01) difference between the treatment and control groups. Only cyathostomin larvae were detected in larval cultures derived from strongyle-positive faecal samples collected 14 days after treatment of a test group with PYR. Conclusions: This in vivo study showed that PYR resistance is prevalent on horse farms in Lithuania, while the efficacy of IVM still appears to be unaffected. However, further studies of ivermectin resistance are needed. These findings should guide the implementation of more sustainable management of strongyle infections in horses in Lithuania.
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Publication Date: 2021-01-25 PubMed ID: 33494770PubMed Central: PMC7836172DOI: 10.1186/s13028-021-00569-zGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 study investigates the increasing issue of anthelmintic resistanc in horse nematodese in Lithuania due to the extensive use of anthelmintic drugs, studying the extent of resistance to ivermectin and pyrantel on Lithuanian horse farms.

Objective and Methodology

  • The goal of the study was to understand the level of anthelmintic resistance in horse nematodes on farms in Lithuania, a topic that has been lightly researched until now.
  • The study was carried out on 25 horse farms where the horses had a high level of strongyle faecal egg count (FEC). The influence of ivermectin or pyrantel on FEC was measured through a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT).

Findings

  • The study found that ivermectin had a relatively high efficacy, with nearly all of the horses (98.8%) showing zero egg count two weeks post-treatment.
  • The efficacy of pyrantel was assessed under two scenarios. In the first, resistance was deemed to exist when FECR was less than 90% and the lower 95% confidence interval was less than 80%. In the second, resistance was assessed considering if the upper confidence level was less than 95% as well. Under the former condition, five stables (25%) showed resistance, while under the latter, resistance was detected in two stables (8%).
  • There was a significant difference in FEC between the treatment and control groups.
  • Only cyathostomin larvae were found in the faecal samples collected from strongyle-positive horses, two weeks after they were treated with pyrantel.

Conclusions

  • The findings of this in vivo study showcase that pyrantel resistance is common in the horse farms of Lithuania, while ivermectin resistance doesn’t seem to be an issue at this point.
  • Despite the findings, further research on ivermectin resistance is still needed.
  • Based on the results, the authors call for a sustainable management approach to handle strongyle infections in Lithuanian horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Dauparaitė E, Kupčinskas T, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Petkevičius S. (2021). Anthelmintic resistance of horse strongyle nematodes to ivermectin and pyrantel in Lithuania. Acta Vet Scand, 63(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-021-00569-z

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 1751-0147
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 63
Issue: 1
Pages: 5

Researcher Affiliations

Dauparaitė, Evelina
  • Laboratory for Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes str. 18, 47181, Kaunas, Lithuania. evelina.dauparaite@lsmu.lt.
Kupčinskas, Tomas
  • Laboratory for Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes str. 18, 47181, Kaunas, Lithuania.
von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg
  • Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag Strasse 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
Petkevičius, Saulius
  • Laboratory for Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Tilzes str. 18, 47181, Kaunas, Lithuania.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / pharmacology
  • Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
  • Drug Resistance
  • Feces / parasitology
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
  • Horse Diseases / parasitology
  • Horses
  • Ivermectin / pharmacology
  • Ivermectin / therapeutic use
  • Lithuania
  • Male
  • Nematoda / drug effects
  • Nematode Infections / drug therapy
  • Nematode Infections / veterinary
  • Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
  • Pyrantel / pharmacology
  • Pyrantel / therapeutic use

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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