Natural infection with Eimeria leuckarti: prevalence of oocysts in feces of horse foals on several farms in Kentucky during 1986.

This research article focuses on investigating the prevalence of natural infection with Eimeria leuckarti, a type of parasitic protozoa, in horse foals in Kentucky through the detection of oocysts in their feces. It was found to be prevalent in 41% of the sampled foals, starting to appear when the foals were about 70 days old on average.

Study Design

• The study was carried out in 1986 and involved 164 horse foals from 13 farms in central Kentucky. The majority of these horses were Thoroughbreds, with a small number of mixed light horse types.
• Researchers collected fecal specimens from each horse foal at least once at different ages ranging from 0 to 252 days.
• The main objective was to detect the presence of oocysts (the dormant and resistant form of the parasite) to infer natural infection with Eimeria leuckarti.

Findings

• Researchers detected oocysts in the feces of 41% (67 foals) and were identified in 85% (11) of the farms surveyed.
• The initial appearance of oocysts began at 15 days old at the earliest and 123 days old at the latest.
• The mean age for the first appearance of oocysts in the feces was about 70 days.
• The oldest foal found to pass oocysts was 185 days old.
• The period of oocyst shedding was approximately four months, despite positive feces mainly being detected sporadically within this timeframe.

Implications

• The findings highlight the prevalence of Eimeria leuckarti infection in horse foals in the Kentucky region.
• It also gives an insight into the age range and duration of oocyst shedding, providing valuable data for animal health management and disease prevention protocols.