[Influence of animal breeding manner on the occurence of internal parasites].

This article presents a study on the impact of animal breeding methods on the prevalence and severity of internal parasite infections in several animal species including cattle, deer, and horses. The research findings underscore the influence of factors such as species, breed, age, sex, and environmental conditions on the occurrence and intensity of such infections.

Research Methodology

• The study was conducted over the period of July and August, identifying the presence, prevalence, and intensity of internal parasites in cattle, deer, and primitive Polish horses.
• The research took into account a wide range of variables impacting infection rates, including animal species, breed, age, and sex, as well as environmental conditions such as the type of pasture and cowshed used in breeding.

Key Findings

• The researchers found that all groups of animals studied were infected with internal parasites, indicating the widespread nature of the issue. Moreover, infection prevalence and intensity varied significantly across species, breed, age and sex.
• Specifically, dairy cows of lowland black-and-white breed were six times more heavily infected than the Polish red breed, even when they shared the same living and grazing conditions, exhibiting the importance of breed in susceptibility to parasite infections.
• For calves and heifers, the use of small, frequently wet calf-runs, and early spring grazing exposed them to gastrointestinal nematodes and tapeworms.
• Among surveyed horses, mares were infected with strongylids while foals also carried ascarid nematodes. Mares of primitive Polish horses were found to harbor hookworm strongylids, ascarids, and tapeworms, whereas stallions only carried toothed strongylids.

Overall Conclusions

• The research concluded that nematodes were the chief internal parasites infecting all surveyed animals, followed by a significantly smaller prevalence of tapeworms and coccidia.
• The findings of this study stress the importance of considering species, breed, age, sex, and breeding conditions when devising strategies to control and prevent parasite infections in livestock and equine populations.