Gastrointestinal and pulmonary parasites of working horses from Colombia.

The research studies the species of gastrointestinal and pulmonary parasites found to be infecting working horses from Bogotá D.C. and other Colombian municipalities who were part of a substitution and adoption program.

Objective and Methodology

The researchers wanted to understand the types of gastrointestinal and pulmonary parasites present in working horses in Colombia. By utilizing coproparasitological methods, they studied faecal samples from horses involved in a substitution and adoption program:

• 1004 horses from Bogotá D.C. sampled between May and December 2013
• 648 horses from other Colombian municipalities, sampled between February and July 2014

Finding and Results

The samples were subjected to floatation and Baermann tests to visualize faecal parasitic forms. The researchers calculated and compared the prevalence of each gastrointestinal parasite both at origin (Bogotá D.C.) and one year later, at destination (other municipalities). They analyzed these rates by age group and coinfection.

• At the beginning of the study, 87.5% of horses harboured at least one parasite species, and one year later, the proportion increased slightly to 89.5%.
• The most common parasites found were strongyles (86.4-89.4%) followed by Parascaris spp. (0.7-6.2%), cestodes (Anoplocephalidae) (3.7-4.9%) and Oxyuris sp. (2.8-4.3%). Other species detected were Eimeria sp., Strongyloides sp. and Dictyocaulus sp.
• Coinfections by two or more species ranged between 14.4 and 38.3%, with strongyles, Parascaris spp., Oxyuris sp. and cestodes (Anoplocephalidae) being the most commonly involved species.
• Some parasitic infections commonly associated with younger animals (e.g. Parascaris spp.) were detected in all age groups in this study.

Conclusion

The patterns of parasites flowing between Bogotá D.C. and other municipalities were evaluated and presented. The researchers concluded that their findings confirm the widespread distribution of most of these species, suggesting the potential health and welfare impact of these infections on working equids (like horses and donkeys) that are susceptible to specific epidemiological risks.