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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Preliminary Data from Six Years of Selective Anthelmintic Tr...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(12); doi: 10.3390/ani10122395

Preliminary Data from Six Years of Selective Anthelmintic Treatment on Five Horse Farms in France and Switzerland.

Abstract: Anthelmintic resistance (AR) of small strongyle populations (cyathostomins) against products of the benzimidazole and tetrahydropyrimidine classes occurs now worldwide and there is an increasing number of reports also regarding macrocyclic lactones. Consequently, and in order to maintain an appropriate horse parasite control, alternative control schemes must be evaluated under field conditions. Here we present a six-year field study on the administration of the so-called selective or targeted selective anthelmintic treatment (SAT) concept. In this study on five horse farms in France and Switzerland, 757 fecal samples from 93 equids (90 horses, 3 ponies) have been taken twice a year (between early and late spring and between early and late autumn) from autumn 2014 to spring 2020 and processed by a McMaster technique. From a total of 757 samples, only 263 (34.7%) had a fecal egg count ≥200 EpG and needed an anthelmintic treatment. This small number of fecal samples ≥200 EpG demonstrates the considerable potential for a long-term reduction of the number of anthelmintic treatments and the anthelmintic pressure by using the SAT-programme.
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Publication Date: 2020-12-15 PubMed ID: 33333748PubMed Central: PMC7765241DOI: 10.3390/ani10122395Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 study investigates the impact of selective anthelmintic treatment (SAT) in horse farms in France and Switzerland over six years in managing parasites. The research found that by using SAT, the need for anthelmintic treatments was significantly reduced.

Objectives of the Study

  • The research aimed to evaluate alternative control schemes for horse parasite control due to the growing global presence of anthelmintic resistance (AR) amongst small strongyle populations.
  • Specifically, the study focused on the selective or targeted selective anthelmintic treatment (SAT) concept over a six-year period.

Methodology

  • The research took place on five horse farms in France and Switzerland and involved the collection of 757 fecal samples from 93 equids (which included 90 horses and 3 ponies) between autumn 2014 and spring 2020.
  • Fecal samples were collected twice a year, once each in the early-late spring and the early-late autumn periods.
  • Each of the samples was then processed using a technique known as the McMaster technique, a laboratory method to estimate the number of parasitic eggs present within the samples.

Findings of the Study

  • Of the 757 samples collected, only 263 (equating to 34.7%) had a fecal egg count that was equal to or higher than 200 eggs per gram (EpG). These samples required anthelmintic treatment.
  • These findings showed that a significant potential exists for the long-term reduction in the number of anthelmintic treatments required when using the SAT programme, thus decreasing the anthelmintic pressure on the horse populations within the farms.

Implications of the Study

  • The research emphasizes the need for alternative control schemes in managing horse parasites in the face of growing AR.
  • It establishes the effectiveness of SAT as a viable alternative to traditional anthelmintic treatments with the potential for decreasing the overall quantity of these treatments required in the long term.
  • This could potentially lead to a better way of managing horse parasites and reducing resistance to anthelmintic treatments in equine operations globally.

Cite This Article

APA
Roelfstra L, Quartier M, Pfister K. (2020). Preliminary Data from Six Years of Selective Anthelmintic Treatment on Five Horse Farms in France and Switzerland. Animals (Basel), 10(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122395

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 12

Researcher Affiliations

Roelfstra, Liselore
  • Laboratoire Animal Diagnostic, Beauregard 28, CH-2036 Corcelles-Cormondreche, Switzerland.
Quartier, Marion
  • Laboratoire Animal Diagnostic, Beauregard 28, CH-2036 Corcelles-Cormondreche, Switzerland.
Pfister, Kurt
  • Laboratoire Animal Diagnostic, Beauregard 28, CH-2036 Corcelles-Cormondreche, Switzerland.
  • Parasite Consulting GmbH, Wendschatzstrasse 8, CH-3006 Berne, Switzerland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Osterman-Lind E, Hedberg Alm Y, Hassler H, Wilderoth H, Thorolfson H, Tydén E. Evaluation of Strategies to Reduce Equine Strongyle Infective Larvae on Pasture and Study of Larval Migration and Overwintering in a Nordic Climate. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 10;12(22).
    doi: 10.3390/ani12223093pubmed: 36428321google scholar: lookup
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