Analyze Diet
Parasitology research2016; 115(11); 4299-4306; doi: 10.1007/s00436-016-5212-1

Description of two equine nematodes, Parascaris equorum Goeze 1782 and Habronema microstoma Schneider 1866 from the domestic horse Equus ferus caballus (Famisly: Equidae) in Egypt.

Abstract: Parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE) caused by infection of the gut with parasitic nematodes is one of the most important diseases of livestock animals from both financial and welfare perspectives. Parascaris equorum and Habronema microstoma are of the most endemic nematodes of the world which are currently the major cause of PGE of the domestic horses in Egypt. The present investigation introduced the first morphological description of these nematodes recovered from the domestic horse, Equus ferus caballus (Equidae), in Egypt by light and scanning electron microscopy. Seven P. equorum (fifth stage) and 18 adults of H. microstoma were recovered from the gastrointestinal tracts of four young domestic horses collected during the year of 2015. Microscopic examination of the isolated fifth stage P. equorum revealed that it possessed a long body with a broad anterior end equipped by large shamrock-like lips with deep transverse groove on medial surface set off from the rest of the body by a deep post-labial constriction giving the body a shouldered appearance. The total body length was 12-15 (14 ± 2) cm for males and 13-18 (16 ± 2) cm for females. Lips were three in number in the form of one dorsal and two sub-ventral surrounding the central stoma. The isolated adult worms of H. microstoma were whitish in color narrowed slightly at the anterior end. Single lateral ala in the cephalic region in both sexes was observed. The buccal vestibule was markedly thickened and equipped by two tridentate teeth. The adult worms had two bilobed lateral lips surrounding the mouth with four sub-median cephalic papillae and two amphids. The males were 14.5-18.0 (17.2 ± 0.3) mm long and 1.23-1.57 (1.42 ± 0.3) mm wide. The posterior end was spirally coiled and had wide caudal alae. The spicules were unequal. The females were 13.5-21.0 (16.2 ± 0.3) mm long and 1.55-1.75 (1.69 ± 0.3) mm wide. The anal pore had a thin upper rim and was located 177.0 μm from the posterior end.
Publication Date: 2016-08-19 PubMed ID: 27539725DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5212-1Google 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

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.

This research provides microscopic descriptions of two specific types of nematode parasites, Parascaris equorum and Habronema microstoma, which are known causes of gastrointestinal diseases in domestic horses in Egypt.

Overview of the Study

  • The study aimed at examining the morphological features of P. equorum and H. microstoma nematodes, both of which are deemed significant causes of parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE) in domestic horses, particularly in Egypt.
  • This involved dissecting the gastrointestinal tracts of four young domestic horses to recover parasites for examination and analysis using light and scanning electron microscopy throughout 2015.

Key Findings

Parascaris equorum Examination

  • Seven P. equorum were recovered, and observed to have elongated bodies with broad anterior ends adorned by large, shamrock-like lips.
  • The lips were characterized by deep transverse grooves set apart from the rest of the body by deep post-labial constrictions. This unique characteristic lent the body a shouldered appearance.
  • Measurement details: The total body length varied between 12-15cm for males and 13-18cm for females.
  • The stoma (mouth) was surrounded by three lips: one dorsal and two sub-ventral.

Habronema microstoma Examination

  • Around 18 adults of H. microstoma were retrieved. They appeared whitish, with bodies slightly narrowed at the anterior end.
  • A single lateral ala was observable in the cephalic region of both sexes.
  • The worm’s buccal vestibule had a marked thickening and was equipped with two tridentate teeth.
  • There were two lateral lips surrounding the mouth, along with four sub-median cephalic papillae and two amphids on the H. microstoma.
  • Measurement details: Males were 14.5-18.0mm long and 1.23-1.57mm wide, with spirally coiled posterior ends and wide caudal alae, while spicules were unequal. Females were 13.5-21.0mm long and 1.55-1.75mm wide, with a thin-rimmed anal pore located 177.0µm from the posterior end.

Significance of the Study

  • This research contributes to further understanding of the pathological nematodes causing PGE in domestic horses, intensifying the importance of monitoring and controlling these parasites in efforts to maintain equine health and welfare, especially in endemic regions like Egypt.
  • Cite This Article

    APA
    Morsy K, Bashtar AR, Al Quraishy S, Adel S. (2016). Description of two equine nematodes, Parascaris equorum Goeze 1782 and Habronema microstoma Schneider 1866 from the domestic horse Equus ferus caballus (Famisly: Equidae) in Egypt. Parasitol Res, 115(11), 4299-4306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5212-1

    Publication

    ISSN: 1432-1955
    NlmUniqueID: 8703571
    Country: Germany
    Language: English
    Volume: 115
    Issue: 11
    Pages: 4299-4306

    Researcher Affiliations

    Morsy, Kareem
    • Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
    Bashtar, Abdel Rahman
    • Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. drbashtar123@yahoo.com.
    Al Quraishy, Saleh
    • Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
    Adel, Salma
    • Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

    MeSH Terms

    • Anal Canal / parasitology
    • Animals
    • Ascaridida Infections / veterinary
    • Ascaridoidea / classification
    • Ascaridoidea / isolation & purification
    • Duodenum / parasitology
    • Egypt
    • Female
    • Gastroenteritis / parasitology
    • Horse Diseases / parasitology
    • Horses / parasitology
    • Male
    • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
    • Spirurida Infections / veterinary
    • Spiruroidea / classification
    • Spiruroidea / isolation & purification
    • Stomach / parasitology

    References

    This article includes 31 references
    1. Douvres FW, Tromba FG, Malakatis GM. Morphogenesis and migration of Ascaris suum larvae developing to fourth stage in swine.. J Parasitol 1969 Aug;55(4):689-712.
      pubmed: 5822639
    2. Bucknell DG, Gasser RB, Beveridge I. The prevalence and epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasites of horses in Victoria, Australia.. Int J Parasitol 1995 Jun;25(6):711-24.
      pubmed: 7657457doi: 10.1016/0020-7519(94)00214-9google scholar: lookup
    3. Naem S. First description of the horse stomach worm, Habronema muscae (Spirurida: Habronematidae) by scanning electron microscopy.. Parasitol Res 2007 Jul;101(2):427-32.
      pubmed: 17318578doi: 10.1007/s00436-007-0492-0google scholar: lookup
    4. Gawor JJ. [Occurrence of Parascaris equorum in foals and adult horses under different breeding conditions].. Wiad Parazytol 1996;42(2):213-9.
      pubmed: 8967080
    5. Lyons ET, Tolliver SC. Prevalence of parasite eggs (Strongyloides westeri, Parascaris equorum, and strongyles) and oocysts (Emeria leuckarti) in the feces of Thoroughbred foals on 14 farms in central Kentucky in 2003.. Parasitol Res 2004 Mar;92(5):400-4.
      pubmed: 14760526doi: 10.1007/s00436-003-1068-2google scholar: lookup
    6. Stepek G, Behnke JM, Buttle DJ, Duce IR. Natural plant cysteine proteinases as anthelmintics?. Trends Parasitol 2004 Jul;20(7):322-7.
      pubmed: 15193563doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2004.05.003google scholar: lookup
    7. McLaren DJ. Nematode sense organs.. Adv Parasitol 1976;14:195-265.
      pubmed: 769503doi: 10.1016/s0065-308x(08)60515-1google scholar: lookup
    8. Krecek RC, Van Niekerk JP, Els HJ. A comparison of fixatives suitable for scanning electron microscopy of Habronema spp.. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 1988 Mar;55(1):63-5.
      pubmed: 3127769
    9. Nandi AP. Data on the morphology of Viguiera dicrurusi Gupta, 1960 (Nematoda: Habronematidae) with notes on related forms.. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2005 Sep;52(3):261-6.
      pubmed: 16270807doi: 10.14411/fp.2005.034google scholar: lookup
    10. Al-Rofaai A, Rahman WA, Abdulghani M. Sensitivity of two in vitro assays for evaluating plant activity against the infective stage of Haemonchus contortus strains.. Parasitol Res 2013 Feb;112(2):893-8.
      pubmed: 22961237doi: 10.1007/s00436-012-3113-5google scholar: lookup
    11. Kaplan RM, Vidyashankar AN. An inconvenient truth: global worming and anthelmintic resistance.. Vet Parasitol 2012 May 4;186(1-2):70-8.
      pubmed: 22154968doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.11.048google scholar: lookup
    12. Höglund J, Ljungström BL, Nilsson O, Lundquist H, Osterman E, Uggla A. Occurrence of Gasterophilus intestinalis and some parasitic nematodes of horses in Sweden.. Acta Vet Scand 1997;38(2):157-65.
      pubmed: 9257451doi: 10.1186/BF03548495google scholar: lookup
    13. Ricci M, Sabatini A. [Parasitic helminths of the cecum and colon of equidae in Italy].. Parassitologia 1992 Dec;34(1-3):53-60.
      pubmed: 1339978
    14. Ansel M, Thibaut M, Saez H. Scanning electron microscopy on Parascaris equorum (Goeze, 1782), Yorke and Maplestone, 1926.. Int J Parasitol 1974 Feb;4(1):17-23.
      pubmed: 4813200doi: 10.1016/0020-7519(74)90005-8google scholar: lookup
    15. Pandey VS, Ouhelli H, Verhulst A. Epidemiological observations on stomach worms of donkeys in Morocco.. Vet Res Commun 1992;16(4):273-9.
      pubmed: 1466146doi: 10.1007/BF01839326google scholar: lookup
    16. Zaros LG, Neves MR, Benvenuti CL, Navarro AM, Sider LH, Coutinho LL, Vieira LS. Response of resistant and susceptible Brazilian Somalis crossbreed sheep naturally infected by Haemonchus contortus.. Parasitol Res 2014 Mar;113(3):1155-61.
      pubmed: 24425452doi: 10.1007/s00436-014-3753-8google scholar: lookup
    17. Morsy K, Bashtar AR, Abdel-Ghaffar F, Mehlhorn H, Quraishy SA, El-Mahdi M, Al-Ghamdi A, Mostafa N. First record of anisakid juveniles (Nematoda) in the European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax (family: Moronidae), and their role as bio-indicators of heavy metal pollution.. Parasitol Res 2012 Mar;110(3):1131-8.
      pubmed: 21845410doi: 10.1007/s00436-011-2600-4google scholar: lookup
    18. Rieder N, Beelitz P, Gothe R. [Incidence of Parascaris equorum in foals and their mares after strategic use of wide-spectrum anthelmintics for several years].. Tierarztl Prax 1995 Feb;23(1):53-8.
      pubmed: 7792776
    19. Madden PA, Tromba FG. Scanning electron microscopy of the lip denticiles of Ascaris suum adults of known ages.. J Parasitol 1976 Apr;62(2):265-71.
      pubmed: 1263037
    20. Sanderson TP, Niyo Y. Cutaneous habronemiasis in a dog.. Vet Pathol 1990 May;27(3):208-9.
      pubmed: 2141201doi: 10.1177/030098589002700312google scholar: lookup
    21. Cirak VY, Hermosilla C, Bauer C. Study on the gastrointestinal parasite fauna of ponies in northern Germany.. Appl Parasitol 1996 Dec;37(4):239-44.
      pubmed: 9060170
    22. Morsy K, Bashtar AR, Fol M, Yehia S. Haemonchus longistipes Railliet & Henry, 1909 (Nematoda, Trichostrongylidae) from the Egyptian dromedary, Camelus dromedarius (Artiodactyla: Camelidae), first identification on the basis of light and ultrastructural data.. Parasitol Res 2014 Dec;113(12):4579-85.
      pubmed: 25273629doi: 10.1007/s00436-014-4148-6google scholar: lookup
    23. Clayton HM. Ascarids. Recent advances.. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract 1986 Aug;2(2):313-28.
      pubmed: 3527375doi: 10.1016/s0749-0739(17)30718-6google scholar: lookup
    24. Wang J, Davis RE. Programmed DNA elimination in multicellular organisms.. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2014 Aug;27:26-34.
      pubmed: 24886889doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2014.03.012google scholar: lookup
    25. Nery PS, Nogueira FA, Oliveira NJ, Martins ER, Duarte ER. Efficacy of extracts of immature mango on ovine gastrointestinal nematodes.. Parasitol Res 2012 Dec;111(6):2467-71.
      pubmed: 22773010doi: 10.1007/s00436-012-3017-4google scholar: lookup
    26. Müller F, Tobler H. Chromatin diminution in the parasitic nematodes ascaris suum and parascaris univalens.. Int J Parasitol 2000 Apr 10;30(4):391-9.
      pubmed: 10731562doi: 10.1016/s0020-7519(99)00199-xgoogle scholar: lookup
    27. Domke AV, Chartier C, Gjerde B, Höglund J, Leine N, Vatn S, Stuen S. Prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep and goats in Norway.. Parasitol Res 2012 Jul;111(1):185-93.
      pubmed: 22290446doi: 10.1007/s00436-012-2817-xgoogle scholar: lookup
    28. Mirzayans A, Anwar M, Maghsoudloo H. Gastrointestinal helminths of horses in Iran.. Trop Anim Health Prod 1974 May;6(2):106.
      pubmed: 4413546doi: 10.1007/BF02380547google scholar: lookup
    29. Boomker J, Horak IG, Ramsay KA. Helminth and arthropod parasites of indigenous goats in the northern Transvaal.. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 1994 Mar;61(1):13-20.
      pubmed: 7898893
    30. Borgsteede FH, van Beek G. Parasites of stomach and small intestine of 70 horses slaughtered in The Netherlands.. Vet Q 1998 Jan;20(1):31-4.
      pubmed: 9477534doi: 10.1080/01652176.1998.9694833google scholar: lookup
    31. Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Collins SS. Field studies on endoparasites of Thoroughbred foals on seven farms in central Kentucky in 2004.. Parasitol Res 2006 Apr;98(5):496-500.
      pubmed: 16385405doi: 10.1007/s00436-005-0091-xgoogle scholar: lookup

    Citations

    This article has been cited 3 times.
    1. Zhou M, Lu Y, Han L, Lu M, Guan C, Yu J, Liu H, Chen D, Li H, Yang Y, Zhang L, Tian L, Liu Q, Hou Z. Exploration of Parascaris species in three different Equus populations in China.. Parasit Vectors 2023 Jun 15;16(1):202.
      doi: 10.1186/s13071-023-05768-3pubmed: 37322493google scholar: lookup
    2. Barlaam A, Traversa D, Papini R, Giangaspero A. Habronematidosis in Equids: Current Status, Advances, Future Challenges.. Front Vet Sci 2020;7:358.
      doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00358pubmed: 32719812google scholar: lookup
    3. Saeed MA, Beveridge I, Abbas G, Beasley A, Bauquier J, Wilkes E, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, El-Hage C, O'Handley R, Hurley J, Cudmore L, Carrigan P, Walter L, Tennent-Brown B, Nielsen MK, Jabbar A. Systematic review of gastrointestinal nematodes of horses from Australia.. Parasit Vectors 2019 Apr 29;12(1):188.
      doi: 10.1186/s13071-019-3445-4pubmed: 31036059google scholar: lookup