Fecal egg counts after anthelmintic administration to aged horses and horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.

The research explores how pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), commonly known as Cushing’s disease, and age impact the presence of parasitic eggs in horse feces before and after treatment with antiparasitic medication. It concluded that horses with PPID had higher counts of parasitic eggs in their feces compared to healthy horses in similar environments, leading to the suggestion that horses with PPID may require more intensive parasitic prevention plans. Age, however, did not influence the fecal egg counts before or after treatment, indicating age alone isn’t a significant factor in designing a parasite control program for adult horses.

Research Methodology

• The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study on 29 healthy horses (ranging from 4 to 35 years old), and 13 horses diagnosed with PPID (ranging from 13 to 33 years old).
• The horses lived in similar environmental conditions.
• Fecal egg counts (FECs) were performed using a modified Wisconsin flotation method at 2-week intervals, both before and after the administration of the anthelmintic agent, ivermectin.

Results and Analysis

• The study found higher fecal egg counts in horses with PPID before and 8, 10, and 12 weeks after ivermectin treatment, compared to healthy horses in identical settings.
• However, there was no difference in the time taken for a significant reduction (less than 90%) in fecal egg counts between the PPID-affected horses and the healthy group.
• Furthermore, age did not affect fecal egg counts at any time. That is, the number of parasite eggs present in horse feces did not vary depending upon the age of the horse, whether before or after the anthelmintic treatment.

Conclusions

• When the ventilation conditions are the same, horses with PPID are more prone to higher fecal egg counts than their healthy counterparts.
• Given their higher likelihood of a parasitic burden, horses with PPID might necessitate a more aggressive parasite prevention approach compared to healthy horses.
• Age alone did not affect FECs or the time taken for egg reappearance following antiparasitic treatment, proposing that age should not be a sole consideration when formulating a parasite control plan for adult horses.