Correlation between colic and antibody levels against Anoplocephala perfoliata in horses in The Netherlands.

The research paper investigates the link between A. perfoliata infections, a common tapeworm, and instances of colic in horses, and finds that colic symptoms in horses correlated significantly with higher A. perfoliata antibody levels.

Research Context

• The authors of the paper begin by establishing the context of their study – the health of horses in Netherlands suffering from colic symptoms.
• To investigate the cause of this illness, the researchers collected samples from 139 horses presenting with colic and another set of 139 horses that showed no signs of colic for at least three years.

Methodology

• The key investigative tool used in this research was the serodiagnostic method of Proudman and Trees, a technique that measures the level of A. perfoliata antibody in horses to detect an A. perfoliata infection.
• After using this diagnostic tool, the horses were also given a necropsy, which is a detailed post-mortem examination. This helped the researchers identify if the presence of A. perfoliata tapeworm in the ileocaecal region of the horse’s digestive system was linked with the measured level of A. perfoliata antibody.

Findings

• The data showed a significant correlation, suggesting that horses with colic showed higher A. perfoliata antibody levels in their blood samples (P < 0.001). This indicates the presence of an infection could be responsible for triggering colic symptoms.
• The researchers found no correlation between the age of the horse and the A. perfoliata antibody level, suggesting that the infection could affect horses of any age equally.
• A sub-sample of horses suffering from ileocaecal disorders also presented with significantly higher A. perfoliata antibody levels, suggesting these disorders could be associated with the infection.
• Further, the necropsy results showed 7 out of 32 horses had tapeworm in the ileocaecal region of their digestive system, and these showed a higher level of Antiplocephala antibodies. This further strengthens the likelihood of a relationship between the infection and colic.

Limitations

• The authors of the paper conclude by pointing out that their attempt to identify A. perfoliata infections using faecal samples was not successful in this study.
• It suggests this method may not be a useful tool for detection, and advocates for using the serodiagnostic method of Proudman and Trees instead.