Prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes, parasite control practices and anthelmintic resistance patterns in a working horse population in Egypt.

This research article examines the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode infections in working horses in Egypt. It also evaluates resistance to various anthelmintic treatments within this population. The study concluded that parasite infection was relatively low and there was no detectable drug resistance among the strongyles in these horses.

Study Objectives and Methods

• The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) nematode infections in working horses in Egypt.
• It also endeavored to evaluate strongyle resistance to ivermectin, doramectin, and fenbendazole – common anthelmintics used for treating worm infestation in horses.
• The research used a cross-sectional study design and consisted of a simple fecal egg count performed on 644 working horses from two provinces in Egypt.
• For each horse investigated, a short questionnaire about the horse’s background information and worming history was completed.
• Horses identified with a certain level of strongyle eggs in their stool samples underwent further testing to gauge efficacies of the aforementioned anthelmintics.

Results

• An overwhelming majority of the horses (88.4%) had a low level of strongyle infection, with 5.9% and 5.8% showing medium and high levels of infection respectively.
• P. equorum, a roundworm species common in equines, was found in 5.1% of the horses.
• Following anthelmintic treatment, a noticeable reduction of strongyle fecal egg count was observed – ivermectin, doramectin, and fenbendazole showed close to 100% strongyle fecal egg count reduction (FECR).
• The research showed that anthelmintic treatment in the 12 months prior to the study was associated with a reduced likelihood of a strongyle infection.
• Furthermore, the likelihood of P. equorum infection was significantly linked to the horses’ age, with older horses being less susceptible, and sex, with male horses more likely to have an infection.

Study Limitations and Conclusions

• The authors noted that the study had some limitations, including non-random selection of study areas and unsuccessful larval cultures for some samples.
• However, the study concluded that strongyle and P. equorum infection prevalence were low in the working horse population examined.
• Importantly, the study found no evidence of resistance to macrocyclic lactones or benzimidazole (classes of anthelmintics) in strongyles, suggesting that the anthelmintics tested remain effective for parasite control in working horses in Egypt.