Detection of Strongylus vulgaris in equine faecal samples by real-time PCR and larval culture – method comparison and occurrence assessment.
Abstract: Strongylus vulgaris has become a rare parasite in Germany during the past 50 years due to the practice of frequent prophylactic anthelmintic therapy. To date, the emerging development of resistance in Cyathostominae and Parascaris spp. to numerous equine anthelmintics has changed deworming management and the frequency of anthelmintic usage. In this regard, reliable detection of parasitic infections, especially of the highly pathogenic S. vulgaris is essential. In the current study, two diagnostic methods for the detection of infections with S. vulgaris were compared and information on the occurrence of this parasite in German horses was gained. For this purpose, faecal samples of 501 horses were screened for S. vulgaris with real-time PCR and an additional larval culture was performed in samples of 278 horses. A subset of 26 horses underwent multiple follow-up examinations with both methods in order to evaluate both the persistence of S. vulgaris infections and the reproducibility of each diagnostic method. Results: The real-time PCR revealed S. vulgaris-DNA in ten of 501 investigated equine samples (1.9%). The larval culture demonstrated larvae of S. vulgaris in three of the 278 samples (1.1%). A direct comparison of the two methods was possible in 321 samples including 43 follow-up examinations with the result of 11 S. vulgaris-positive samples by real-time PCR and 4 S. vulgaris-positive samples by larval culture. The McNemar's test (p-value = 0.016) revealed a significant difference and the kappa values (0.525) showed a moderate agreement between real-time PCR and larval culture. Conclusions: The real-time PCR detected a significantly higher proportion of positives of S. vulgaris compared to larval culture and should thus be considered as a routine diagnostic method for the detection of S. vulgaris in equine samples.
Publication Date: 2017-01-11 PubMed ID: 28077153PubMed Central: PMC5225560DOI: 10.1186/s12917-016-0918-yGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research seeks to establish the prevalence of Strongylus vulgaris, a parasitic infection in horses, in Germany. It evaluates and compares two methods of detecting the parasite – real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and larval culture – and concludes that real-time PCR is more effective in detecting S. vulgaris and should be the standard diagnostic method.
Objective and Methodology of the Study
- The study was focused on comparing the efficacy of two diagnostic methods – real-time PCR and larval culture – in detecting Strongylus vulgaris (S. vulgaris) in equine faecal samples.
- The researchers tested faecal samples of a total of 501 horses for the occurrence of S. vulgaris.
- Real-time PCR was performed on all samples, while larval cultures were performed on 278 of these samples.
- A subset of 26 horses was subjected to multiple examinations using both methods to assess the repeatability and reliability of the findings.
Results and Findings
- Real-time PCR detected S. vulgaris-DNA in ten out of the 501 samples (1.9%), while the larval culture method detected the parasite in three out of the 278 samples (1.1%).
- A direct comparison of the two methods in 321 samples, including 43 follow-up tests, showed that real-time PCR resulted in 11 S. vulgaris-positive results while larval culture yielded 4 S. vulgaris positives.
- Using the McNemar’s test, a statistical significance was established between the outcomes of the two methods, with a p-value of 0.016. Furthermore, the kappa values (used to measure agreement between two methods) were calculated to be 0.525, indicating only a moderate agreement between the two methods.
Conclusions and Recommendations
- The study concluded that real-time PCR, which detected a higher proportion of positive cases compared to larval culture, is significantly more effective in detecting S. vulgaris in horses.
- Therefore, the researchers recommend that real-time PCR should be considered as the routine diagnostic method for detecting S. vulgaris in equine samples.
Cite This Article
APA
Kaspar A, Pfister K, Nielsen MK, Silaghi C, Fink H, Scheuerle MC.
(2017).
Detection of Strongylus vulgaris in equine faecal samples by real-time PCR and larval culture – method comparison and occurrence assessment.
BMC Vet Res, 13(1), 19.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0918-y Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. alexandra.kaspar@tropa.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de.
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
- Present address: Parasite Consulting GmbH, Wendschatzstrasse 8, CH-3006, Berne, Switzerland.
- Department of Veterinary Science, M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
- Present address: National Centre of Vector Entomology, Institute for Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH-8006, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Department of Statistics, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
- Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
- Present address: ParaDocs Laboratory, Ismaning, Germany.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Feces / parasitology
- Horses
- Larva / physiology
- Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
- Strongyle Infections, Equine / diagnosis
- Strongyle Infections, Equine / parasitology
- Strongylus / isolation & purification
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