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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(8); 1254; doi: 10.3390/ani10081254

Novel Equine Faecal Egg Diagnostics: Validation of the FECPAKG2.

Abstract: Faecal egg counts (FECs) are the standard method of diagnosing the level of parasitic helminth egg shedding in horses and other grazing animals. Testing before treatment is an important factor in slowing the appearance of anthelmintic resistance in nematode parasites. The FECPAK, optimised for livestock, is reported to allow owners to perform FECs on their own animals without the need for a separate microscope or any specialist knowledge by tapping into remote expertise. However, the performance of the FECPAK has yet to be assessed for equids. Therefore, a comparison of the FECPAK (G2) method with an accepted equine FEC method (FECPAK(G1)) was performed, using faecal samples from 57 horses in Wales and 22 horses in New Zealand. There was a significant correlation between the FECs obtained by the two methods ( < 0.001) and no effect of the country of origin on the data ( = 0.157). The mean percentage accuracy compared to the control values (mean G2 count as a percentage of the mean G1 count, ±SStandard Error (SE)) was 101 ± 4%. There was no significant interaction between the method applied and the country of origin of the data ( = 0.814). The relative accuracy of the G2 method compared to the control method (FECPAK) was not affected by the level of infection ( = 0.124) and it was concluded that the FECPAK method is a suitable method of performing FECs in horses. It is anticipated that the user-friendliness of the method will increase the uptake of FECs amongst horse owners, either by the direct use of the technology or through their veterinary practice, likely slowing the development of anthelmintic resistance.
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Publication Date: 2020-07-23 PubMed ID: 32717982PubMed Central: PMC7459939DOI: 10.3390/ani10081254Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

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 researchers compared the FECPAKG2, a tool that allows horse owners to measure the level of worm eggs in their horse’s feces (known as Faecal Egg Count or FEC) at home, with an established method. The results showed a strong correlation between the two methods, suggesting the FECPACKG2 could be helpful in making this type of testing more widely adopted and possibly slow the development of resistance to de-worming medications.

Research Purpose and Methods

  • The main objective of this research was to test the performance of FECPAKG2, a system that horse owners can use to perform faecal egg counts (FECs) on their own horses. This system has been designed to return reliable results without the need for specialist knowledge or separate microscopic equipment.
  • The researchers tested the FECPAKG2 tool by comparing its results with those obtained from an accepted equine FEC method (FECPAKG1).
  • The test involved analysing faecal samples from a total of 79 horses across Wales and New Zealand.

Key Findings

  • The results showed a significant correlation between the FECs obtained using the FECPAKG2 method and those obtained using the FECPAKG1 method.
  • There was no significant impact from the country of origin on the data, meaning that the results were consistent whether they were derived from horses in Wales or New Zealand.
  • Additionally, the study found no significant interaction between the method applied and the country of origin of the data.
  • The average accuracy of the counts produced by the FECPAKG2 tool compared to the accepted standard was 101 ± 4%, indicating a high level of precision when used as instructed.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The researchers concluded that FECPAKG2 is a valid method for horse owners to perform FECs on their horses.
  • The simplicity of this tool could contribute to a higher level of uptake of FECs among horse owners. This increased usage, whether directly by horse owners or through their veterinary practices, could potentially slow down the development of resistance to anthelmintic (de-worming) medication.
  • This is significant as it allows horse owners to be proactive in the health management of their horses, while contributing to the overall aim of preserving the efficacy of anthelmintic treatment.

Cite This Article

APA
Tyson F, Dalesman S, Brophy PM, Morphew RM. (2020). Novel Equine Faecal Egg Diagnostics: Validation of the FECPAKG2. Animals (Basel), 10(8), 1254. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10081254

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 8
PII: 1254

Researcher Affiliations

Tyson, Fiona
  • Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DA, UK.
Dalesman, Sarah
  • Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DA, UK.
Brophy, Peter M
  • Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DA, UK.
Morphew, Russell M
  • Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DA, UK.

Grant Funding

  • N/A (PhD funding body) / KESS2

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The study design and UK data collection were entirely independent of Techion Group Ltd. The New Zealand data were supplied by Techion Group Ltd.

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Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
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