Parascaris spp. eggs shedding patterns in juvenile horses.

The research studies the pattern of Parascaris spp. egg shedding in foals and analyses two techniques for counting these eggs in feces. Higher precision was found in the McMaster technique compared to the Automated Egg Counting System (AECS), with age, seasonality and the counting technique having a notable impact on fecal egg counts.

Objective of the Study

• The primary goal of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the pattern of egg shedding in foals infected with Parascaris spp. from the age of 12 to 23 weeks.
• The research also compared the precision of two ascarid FEC (fecal egg counting) techniques, namely the McMaster technique and an Automated Egg Counting System (AECS).
• The researchers also wanted to estimate the sources of data variability associated with these two techniques.

Methodology

• Fecal samples were collected weekly from 11 foals over a period of 29 weeks, from May to November 2022.
• Six subsamples per weekly sample were used to determine 30 FECs, utilizing two different egg counting techniques.
• Different factors like foal age, sex, birth month, seasonality, and egg counting technique were taken into account during analysis using mixed linear modeling.

Results and Findings

• The study found that age, seasonality, and the technique used for counting eggs in the feces were strongly associated with the results of ascarid FECs.
• The McMaster technique had a higher precision, with a mean coefficient of variation (CV) of 34.57%, compared to the Automated Egg Counting System, which had a CV of 42.22%.
• Even though factors like subsamples and replicate counts contributed to less than 1% of the total data variance, seasonality accounted for the highest proportion of variance of all the co-variables examined in the study, followed by individual foal and foal age.
• Significant differences were observed in the precision of the two FEC techniques, but these were minimal in the data set due to the strong influence of the individual foal, seasonality, and foal age on data variability.

Conclusion

• This study aids in enhancing the understanding of Parascaris spp. egg-shedding patterns in untreated foals, and outlines the importance of considering various factors such as age and seasonality for accurate fecal egg counts.
• The study also provides valuable insights about the precision of different ascarid FEC techniques, thereby guiding more effective disease management and intervention strategies.