Comparison of FECPAKG2, a modified Mini-FLOTAC technique and combined sedimentation and flotation for the coproscopic examination of helminth eggs in horses.
Abstract: Due to high prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in equine helminths, selective treatment is increasingly promoted and in some countries a positive infection diagnosis is mandatory before treatment. Selective treatment is typically recommended when the number of worm eggs per gram faeces (epg) exceeds a particular threshold. In the present study we compared the semi-quantitative sedimentation/flotation method with the quantitative methods Mini-FLOTAC and FECPAK in terms of precision, sensitivity, inter-rater reliability and correlation of worm egg counts to improve the choice of optimal diagnostic tools. Methods: Using sedimentation/flotation (counting raw egg numbers up to 200), we investigated 1067 horse faecal samples using a modified Mini-FLOTAC approach (multiplication factor of 5 to calculate epgs from raw egg counts) and FECPAK (multiplication factor of 45). Results: Five independent analyses of the same faecal sample with all three methods revealed that variance was highest for the sedimentation/flotation method while there were no significant differences between methods regarding the coefficient of variance. Sedimentation/flotation detected the highest number of samples positive for strongyle and Parascaris spp. eggs, followed by Mini-FLOTAC and FECPAK. Regarding Anoplocephalidae, no significant difference in frequency of positive samples was observed between Mini-FLOTAC and sedimentation/flotation. Cohen's κ values comparing individual methods with the combined result of all three methods revealed almost perfect agreement (κ ≥ 0.94) for sedimentation/flotation and strong agreement for Mini-FLOTAC (κ ≥ 0.83) for strongyles and Parascaris spp. For FECPAK, moderate and weak agreements were found for the detection of strongyle (κ = 0.62) and Parascaris (κ = 0.51) eggs, respectively. Despite higher sensitivity, the Mini-FLOTAC mean epg was significantly lower than that with FECPAK due to samples with > 200 raw egg counts by sedimentation/flotation, while in samples with lower egg shedding epgs were higher with Mini-FLOTAC than with FECPAK. Conclusions: For the simple detection of parasite eggs, for example, to treat foals infected with Parascaris spp., sedimentation/flotation is sufficient and more sensitive than the other two quantitative investigared in this study. Mini-FLOTAC is predicted to deliver more precise results in faecal egg count reduction tests due to higher raw egg counts. Finally, to identify animals with a strongyle epg above a certain threshold for treatment, FECPAK delivered results comparable to Mini-FLOTAC.
© 2022. The Author(s).
Publication Date: 2022-05-12 PubMed ID: 35549990PubMed Central: PMC9097362DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05266-yGoogle Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Anthelmintic Resistance
- Anthelmintic Treatment
- Clinical Study
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Management
- Epidemiology
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Science
- Fecal Egg Count
- Horses
- Infection
- Laboratory Methods
- Parasites
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
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 compares different techniques for detecting helminth (parasitic worm) eggs in horse feces, a necessity for selective worm treatment in horses. It evaluates the sedimentation/flotation method, Mini-FLOTAC, and FECPAK for their precision, sensitivity, and inter-rater reliability during the process.
Research Methods
- The team analyzed 1067 horse fecal samples using three different techniques: the traditional sedimentation/flotation method (which counts raw egg numbers up to 200), a modified Mini-FLOTAC approach (using a multiplication factor of 5 to calculate egg per gram of faeces), and FECPAK (which uses a multiplication factor of 45).
- Five independent analyses were performed on each fecal sample with all three methods in order to determine the variance in results.
Results
- The sedimentation/flotation method had the highest variance among the three methods, yet it also detected the largest number of samples positive for strongyle and Parascaris spp. eggs.
- Mini-FLOTAC and FECPAK were less sensitive than sedimentation/flotation for detection, although Mini-FLOTAC observed no significant difference in positive frequency with Anoplocephalidae.
- When considering the agreement between individual methods and a combined result of all three, sedimentation/flotation had nearly perfect agreement (κ ≥ 0.94) while Mini-FLOTAC had strong agreement (κ ≥ 0.83) for strongyles and Parascaris spp.
- FECPAK, by contrast, displayed moderate agreement for strongyle eggs (κ = 0.62) and weak agreement for Parascaris eggs (κ = 0.51).
- Despite Mini-FLOTAC’s higher sensitivity, it nonetheless displayed a significantly lower mean egg count than FECPAK, particularly in samples with higher raw egg counts. This was reversed in samples with lower egg shedding, where Mini-FLOTAC recorded higher counts than FECPAK.
Conclusions
- The researchers concluded that the sedimentation/flotation method is the best choice for simple egg detection as it is more sensitive than other methods and therefore more reliable for treating foals infected with Parascaris spp.
- By contrast, Mini-FLOTAC was predicted to produce more precise results in fecal egg count reduction tests because it results in higher raw egg counts.
- For identifying horses with strongyle egg counts above a certain treatment threshold, the researchers found that FECPAK delivered results comparable to Mini-FLOTAC.
Cite This Article
APA
Boelow H, Krücken J, Thomas E, Mirams G, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.
(2022).
Comparison of FECPAKG2, a modified Mini-FLOTAC technique and combined sedimentation and flotation for the coproscopic examination of helminth eggs in horses.
Parasit Vectors, 15(1), 166.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05266-y Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany. juergen.kruecken@fu-berlin.de.
- Techion UK, Peithyll Centre, Capel Dewi, Aberystwyth, SY23 3HU, Wales, UK.
- Techion New Zealand, Invermay Agriculture Centre, Block A, 176 Puddle Alley, Mosgiel, 9092, New Zealand.
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Ascaridoidea
- Feces / parasitology
- Helminths
- Horses
- Parasite Egg Count / methods
- Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
- Reproducibility of Results
Conflict of Interest Statement
HB, JK and GvSH declare that they have no competing interests. ET is European-Operations Manager of Techion UK and GM is Managing Director of Techion New Zealand. Both companies produce and sell FECPAK and offer diagnostic support for farmers, veterinarians and equine managers.
References
This article includes 79 references
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Miswan N, Singham GV, Othman N. Advantages and Limitations of Microscopy and Molecular Detections for Diagnosis of Soil-transmitted Helminths: An Overview.. Helminthologia 2022 Dec;59(4):321-340.
- Boelow H, Krücken J, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G. Epidemiological study on factors influencing the occurrence of helminth eggs in horses in Germany based on sent-in diagnostic samples.. Parasitol Res 2023 Mar;122(3):749-767.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
