New Perspectives in Equine Intestinal Parasitic Disease: Insights in Monitoring Helminth Infections.

This research article examines the impact of excessive anthelmintic treatment (de-worming medicines) on horses, highlighting the increasing resistance of equine intestinal parasites to such treatment. The paper proposes a more selective and sustainable treatment strategy to slow down this resistance.

Current Anthelmintic Treatment Practices

• The paper reveals that regular anthelmintic (de-worming) treatments in horses have led to the development of resistance in horse helminths, or worms.
• This mass treatment strategy was originally developed due to an absence of larvicidal drugs, specifically geared to eliminate Strongylus vulgaris, a common type of worm that affects horses.

Problems with Current Treatments

• The research points out that due to this routine and widespread usage of anthelmintics, there has been an alarming spike in anthelmintic resistance among equine intestinal parasites.
• The egg reappearance period, or the time it takes for worm eggs to reappear in a horse’s system post-treatment, is also shortening, particularly for treatments using avermectins/moxidectins.

Proposed Selective Treatment Strategy

• The paper suggests that a selective anthelmintic treatment should be adopted as an alternative to mass treatment.
• Supporting this claim, the research specifies that more than half of adult horses show no sign of strongyle egg excretion. This emphasizes that it may not be necessary to treat all horses with anthelmintics regularly.
• The selective treatment procedure entails only treating horses that show evidence of helminth infection, thus reducing the unnecessary exposure of parasites to anthelmintic drugs.

Advantages of Selective Treatment

• The article highlights the benefits of an evidence-based, medically appropriate, and sustainable treatment system that slows the development of anthelmintic resistance.
• These advantages include the reduction of unnecessary medical treatments, the sustainability of treatment practices, and a trend towards slower development of resistance by parasites.