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Increased parasite resistance and recurrent airway obstruction in horses of a high-prevalence family.
Abstract: Equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) shares many characteristics with human asthma. In humans, an inverse relationship between susceptibility to asthma and resistance to parasites is suspected. Objective: Members of a high-incidence RAO half-sibling family (F) shed fewer strongylid eggs compared with RAO-unaffected pasture mates (PM) and that RAO-affected horses shed fewer eggs than RAO-unaffected half-siblings. Methods: Seventy-three F and 73 unrelated, age matched PM. Methods: Cases and controls kept under the same management and deworming regime were examined. Each individual was classified as RAO affected or RAO unaffected and fecal samples were collected before and 1-3 weeks and 3 months after deworming. Samples were analyzed by combined sedimentation-flotation and modified McMaster methods and classified into 3 categories of 0 eggs per gram of feces (EpG), 1-100 EpG, and > 100 EpG, respectively. Results: PM compared with RAO-affected F had a 16.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.0-136.3) times higher risk for shedding > 100 EpG compared with 0 EpG and a 5.3 (95% CI: 1.0-27.4) times higher risk for shedding > 100 EpG compared with 0 EpG. There was no significant effect when RAO-unaffected F were compared with their PM. RAO-unaffected compared with RAO-affected offspring had a 5.8 (95% CI: 0.0-1.0) times higher risk for shedding 1-100 EpG. Age, sex, breed, and sharing pastures with other species had no significant confounding effects. Conclusions: RAO is associated with resistance against strongylid parasites in a high-prevalence family.
Publication Date: 2010-01-28 PubMed ID: 20102498DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0465.xGoogle 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
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
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.
The research article studies the link between recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), a condition similar to asthma in horses, and parasite resistance. The study finds that horses from a family with a high prevalence of RAO had lower parasite egg counts than unaffected horses, suggesting that RAO could be related to increased resistance against certain parasites.
Objective of the Study
The researchers set out to investigate the relationship between RAO, a respiratory condition in horses that shares many similarities with human asthma, and resistance to strongylid parasites. They hypothesized that RAO-affected horses from a high-incidence family would have fewer parasite eggs compared to unaffected horses from the same or different families.
Methodology
- A total of 146 horses – 73 from a family with a high incidence of RAO (F) and 73 unrelated, age-matched pasture mates (PM) – were included in the study.
- All horses were kept under the same management and deworming regime.
- Each horse was classified as either RAO-affected or unaffected. Fecal samples were collected before, 1 to 3 weeks after, and 3 months after deworming.
- These samples were then analyzed using combined sedimentation-flotation and modified McMaster methods. The number of parasite eggs was then classified into three categories: 0 eggs per gram of feces (EpG), 1-100 EpG, and >100 EpG.
Results
- The study found that the PM horses had a significantly higher risk of shedding more than 100 EpG as compared to the RAO-affected F horses.
- However, there was no significant difference when the RAO-unaffected F horses were compared with their PM counterparts.
- The researchers also found that the RAO-unaffected offspring had a higher risk of shedding 1-100 EpG compared to the RAO-affected horses.
- Other factors like age, sex, breed, and sharing pastures with other species did not have significant confounding effects on the results.
Conclusion
Based on their findings, the researchers concluded that RAO is associated with resistance against strongylid parasites in a high-prevalence family. This suggests that horses with RAO could potentially have a greater natural immunity against certain types of parasites.
Cite This Article
APA
Neuhaus S, Bruendler P, Frey CF, Gottstein B, Doherr MG, Gerber V.
(2010).
Increased parasite resistance and recurrent airway obstruction in horses of a high-prevalence family.
J Vet Intern Med, 24(2), 407-413.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0465.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Clinic, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Länggass-str. 124, CH-3012 Berne, Switzerland.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
- Feces / parasitology
- Female
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / genetics
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horses
- Logistic Models
- Lung Diseases, Obstructive / genetics
- Lung Diseases, Obstructive / immunology
- Lung Diseases, Obstructive / veterinary
- Male
- Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
- Prevalence
- Strongylida / isolation & purification
- Strongylida Infections / drug therapy
- Strongylida Infections / genetics
- Strongylida Infections / immunology
- Strongylida Infections / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Walshe N, Mulcahy G, Hodgkinson J, Peachey L. No Worm Is an Island; The Influence of Commensal Gut Microbiota on Cyathostomin Infections. Animals (Basel) 2020 Dec 5;10(12).
- Bond S, Léguillette R, Richard EA, Couetil L, Lavoie JP, Martin JG, Pirie RS. Equine asthma: Integrative biologic relevance of a recently proposed nomenclature. J Vet Intern Med 2018 Nov;32(6):2088-2098.
- Pacholewska A, Marti E, Leeb T, Jagannathan V, Gerber V. LPS-induced modules of co-expressed genes in equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells. BMC Genomics 2017 Jan 5;18(1):34.
- Niedzwiedz A, Borowicz H, Januszewska L, Markiewicz-Gorka I, Jaworski Z. Serum 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine as a marker of DNA oxidative damage in horses with recurrent airway obstruction. Acta Vet Scand 2016 Jun 7;58(1):38.
- Pacholewska A, Jagannathan V, Drögemüller M, Klukowska-Rötzler J, Lanz S, Hamza E, Dermitzakis ET, Marti E, Leeb T, Gerber V. Impaired Cell Cycle Regulation in a Natural Equine Model of Asthma. PLoS One 2015;10(8):e0136103.
- Klier J, Lehmann B, Fuchs S, Reese S, Hirschmann A, Coester C, Winter G, Gehlen H. Nanoparticulate CpG immunotherapy in RAO-affected horses: phase I and IIa study. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Jan;29(1):286-93.
- Kehrli D, Jandova V, Fey K, Jahn P, Gerber V. Multiple hypersensitivities including recurrent airway obstruction, insect bite hypersensitivity, and urticaria in 2 warmblood horse populations. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Jan;29(1):320-6.
- Simões J, Sales Luís JP, Madeira de Carvalho L, Tilley P. Severely Asthmatic Horses Residing in a Mediterranean Climate Shed a Significantly Lower Number of Parasite Eggs Compared to Healthy Farm Mates. Animals (Basel) 2023 Sep 15;13(18).
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