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Home / Equine Research Bank / Trop Anim Health Prod / Feasibility of selective anthelmintic therapy to horses in t...
Tropical animal health and production2021; 53(6); 545; doi: 10.1007/s11250-021-02966-y

Feasibility of selective anthelmintic therapy to horses in tropical conditions: the Cuban scenario.

Abstract: For the past several decades, selective anthelmintic therapy (SAT) has been recommended in temperate climate countries for controlling gastrointestinal parasites in horses. However, the feasibility of this approach in tropical climates remains unknown, given the very different parasite transmission patterns and a larger representation of working equids. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bio-economic feasibility of SAT in horses kept under tropical conditions of Camagüey, Cuba. Fecal egg counts were determined from 794 adult horses and used for evaluating three different putative treatment thresholds; > 500 strongylid eggs per gram of feces (EPG); > 1000 EPG; and treatments yielding > 80% of the total herd egg output. These scenarios were evaluated under three treatment frequencies (every 2, 6, and 12 months). The bio-economic feasibility of these nine possible selective anthelmintic therapy scenarios was evaluated taking into account the cost of parasitological tests, and the mean cost of anthelmintic treatment in Camagüey. The majority (96.7%) of the samples tested were positive for strongyle eggs, with a mean of 1549 EPG. The percentage of horses exceeding the cut-off points at the nine scenarios varied between 40.1 and 93.8%. All owners surveyed used extra-label anthelmintic product in their horses on a routine basis. The economic analysis demonstrated that selective therapy generally was much more costly than deworming the entire herd without determining egg counts. However, we consider that the deworming every 6 months of the horses that expel 80% of the eggs in the herd allows a reduction of the treatment intensity without increasing costs, and it can be considered as a viable selective deworming scheme under similar conditions.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.
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Publication Date: 2021-11-15 PubMed ID: 34779918PubMed Central: 6378629DOI: 10.1007/s11250-021-02966-yGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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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 study investigates the feasibility of Selective Anthelmintic Therapy (SAT) for controlling gastrointestinal parasites in horses, in tropical climates like that of Camagüey, Cuba. The study found that while SAT tended to be more expensive than routine deworming of all horses, deworming every six months, only the horses that produced 80% of the egg output, was viable without increasing costs.

Objective of Research

  • The main aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of Selective Anthelmintic Therapy (SAT) for controlling gastrointestinal parasites in horses in tropical climates, a system that has proven effective in temperate climates, but hasn’t been adequately tested in tropical ones, which have different parasite transmission patterns and a larger number of working horses.

Research Methods

  • The study used fecal egg counts from 794 adult horses to evaluate three potential treatment thresholds: >500 strongylid eggs per gram of feces (EPG), >1000 EPG, and treatments yielding >80% of the total herd egg output.
  • This was evaluated under three different treatment frequencies: every two, six, and twelve months.
  • The researchers performed a bio-economic evaluation of nine possible SAT scenarios, considering the cost of parasitological tests, and the mean cost of anthelmintic treatment in Camagüey.

Key Findings

  • The majority (96.7%) of the horse samples tested were positive for strongyle eggs, with a mean egg count of 1549 per gram of feces.
  • The percentage of horses exceeding the cut-off points at the nine scenarios varied between 40.1 and 93.8%.
  • All horse owners surveyed used extra-label anthelmintic product in their horses on a routine basis.
  • The economic analysis found that SAT was generally much costlier than deworming the entire herd without determining egg counts.
  • However, deworming every six months those horses that expel 80% of the eggs in the herd allows a reduction of the treatment intensity without increasing costs, making it a feasible selective deworming scheme under similar conditions.

Suggestions for Future Studies

  • Future studies could explore more cost-effective methods of implementing selective anthelmintic therapy in tropical climates, or research potential modifications to the existing therapy model for better suitability in tropical climates.
  • Research could also assess the long-term health impacts on horses subjected to different frequencies and intensities of anthelmintic treatment.

Cite This Article

APA
Gómez-Cabrera K, Salas-Romero J, Sifontes JA, de la Torre Cánova R, Salas JE, Nielsen MK. (2021). Feasibility of selective anthelmintic therapy to horses in tropical conditions: the Cuban scenario. Trop Anim Health Prod, 53(6), 545. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02966-y

Publication

Tropical animal health and production
ISSN: 1573-7438
NlmUniqueID: 1277355
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 53
Issue: 6
Pages: 545

Researcher Affiliations

Gómez-Cabrera, Karel
  • Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Ignacio Agramonte Loynáz University of Camagüey, Carretera de Circunvalación Km 5 1/2, 74 650, Camagüey, Cuba.
Salas-Romero, Josmel
  • Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Ignacio Agramonte Loynáz University of Camagüey, Carretera de Circunvalación Km 5 1/2, 74 650, Camagüey, Cuba. josmel.salas@reduc.edu.cu.
Sifontes, Jorge A
  • Department of Animal Health, Camagüey, Cuba.
de la Torre Cánova, Ramón
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine, Ignacio Agramonte Loynáz University of Camagüey, Carretera de Circunvalación Km 5 1/2, 74 650, Camagüey, Cuba.
Salas, Jorge E
  • Fiscal College, National Educational Unit, Napo, Sucumbios, Ecuador.
Nielsen, Martin K
  • Department of Veterinary Science, M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Feces
  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
  • Horses
  • Ovum
  • Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
  • Strongyle Infections, Equine / drug therapy

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Elghandour MMMY, Maggiolino A, Vázquez-Mendoza P, Alvarado-Ramírez ER, Cedillo-Monroy J, De Palo P, Salem AZM. Moringa oleifera as a Natural Alternative for the Control of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Equines: A Review. Plants (Basel) 2023 May 8;12(9).
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  2. Abbas G, Nielsen MK, E-Hage C, Ghafar A, Beveridge I, Bauquier J, Beasley A, Wilkes EJA, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Jacobson C, Hughes KJ, Jabbar A. Recent advances in intestinal helminth parasites of horses in the Asia-Pacific region: Current trends, challenges and future directions. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2025 Dec;29:100622.
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  3. Abbas G, Stevenson MA, Bauquier J, Beasley A, Jacobson C, El-Hage C, Wilkes EJA, Carrigan P, Cudmore L, Hurley J, Beveridge I, Nielsen MK, Hughes KJ, Jabbar A. Assessment of worm control practices recommended by equine veterinarians in Australia. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1305360.
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