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Veterinary parasitology2012; 192(1-3); 1-9; doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.11.003

Recent advances in diagnosing pathogenic equine gastrointestinal helminths: the challenge of prepatent detection.

Abstract: Parasites infecting horses are ubiquitous and clinically important across the world. The major parasitic threats to equine health are cyathostomins, Parascaris equorum, Anoplocephala perfoliata, and Strongylus vulgaris. Increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance reported world wide in equine parasites have led to recommendations of constructing sustainable parasite control programmes based on systematic surveillance of parasite levels. Regulations at the European Union level now make anthelmintics available on prescription-only basis and disallow prophylactic treatment. This emphasizes the needs for reliable and practical diagnostic tools for detection of major parasites infecting equines. The current, widely used coprological techniques are important and useful, but they do have considerable limitations as they are incapable of diagnosing the pathogenic migrating stages. Species-specific molecular assays have been developed for diagnosing patent infections with 21 cyathostomin species, A. perfoliata, and S. vulgaris, but none of these have found use in practice. An antibody-directed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed, validated and made commercially available for diagnosing A. perfoliata infection, but interpretation is complicated by the fact that horses not harbouring tapeworms can maintain elevated antibody titres. Recent work with a coproantigen ELISA has shown promise for reliable detection of current A. perfoliata infection. Perhaps most remarkable is the fact that the pathogenic larval stages of cyathostomins and large strongyles cannot be detected by any of the available diagnostics. With the lengthy prepatency periods characterizing these parasites, there is a huge need for developing such assays. The recent identification of a possible diagnostic marker for encysted cyathostomins holds great promise, and could become very useful in clinical practice. Several attempts have been made to construct assays for diagnosing the highly pathogenic migrating larvae of S. vulgaris, but none of these have performed sufficiently to make a useful test. The present review illustrates that classical coprological techniques remain the cornerstone of equine parasitology diagnosis and surveillance, and will remain so in a foreseeable future. However, promising progress has been made for developing assays capable of diagnosing prepatent stages of strongyle infection, and there is reason to hope for validated and useful assays in the relative near future.
Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2012-11-12 PubMed ID: 23199789DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.11.003Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This study focuses on the challenges in diagnosing pathogenic equine gastrointestinal helminths, particularly during their prepatent phase. It explores current diagnostics, their limitations, and emerging possibilities including a potential marker for encysted cyathostomins.

Background

  • In the veterinary field, parasites that infect horses, such as cyathostomins, Anoplocephala perfoliata, Strongylus vulgaris, and Parascaris equorum, constitute a major threat to equine health. This is true globally, with increased occurrence of anthelmintic resistance in these parasites.
  • The high resistive nature of these parasites to anthelmintic treatment has urged a more systematic parasite control approach based on carefully tracking parasite levels.
  • In the European Union, excessive use of anthelmintic drugs is curbed by making them available only through prescription and not allowing them for prophylactic treatment, leading to a greater necessity for reliable and practical diagnostic tools.

Limitations of Current Diagnostic Methods

  • Coprological methods currently used in practice for parasite detection are useful, but they are unable to diagnose pathogenic migrating stages.
  • The molecular assays developed for diagnosing patent infections with A. perfoliata, 21 cyathostomin species, and S. vulgaris, have not been adopted in practice.
  • An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for A. perfoliata infection, although commercially available, poses the complication of elevated antibody titres in horses that do not harbour tapeworms.
  • Moving further, no known diagnostic tool can detect pathogenic larval stages of cyathostomins and large strongyles; given these parasites’ lengthy prepatency periods, the need for such an assay is high.

New Diagnostic Methodologies

  • Some well-received work on a coproantigen ELISA has displayed potential for reliable detection of existing A. perfoliata infection.
  • An encouraging breakthrough has also occurred in the identification of a possible diagnostic marker for encysted cyathostomins, which could end up having a significant application in veterinary practice.
  • Attempts to create assays for detecting the high-risk migrating larvae of S. vulgaris have been made, but no tested method has yet proven sufficiently effective to become a practical diagnostic tool.

Current and Future Scenario

  • As of now, classical coprological techniques continue to play a critical role in diagnosing and monitoring equine parasitology, and they are expected to remain a primary diagnostic tool for the foreseeable future.
  • The paper posits optimism around the development of assays capable of diagnosing prepatent stages of strongyle infections, hinting at the establishment of validated, effective assays in the upcoming future.

Cite This Article

APA
Andersen UV, Howe DK, Olsen SN, Nielsen MK. (2012). Recent advances in diagnosing pathogenic equine gastrointestinal helminths: the challenge of prepatent detection. Vet Parasitol, 192(1-3), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.11.003

Publication

Veterinary parasitology
ISSN: 1873-2550
NlmUniqueID: 7602745
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 192
Issue: 1-3
Pages: 1-9

Researcher Affiliations

Andersen, U V
  • Department of Large Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Taastrup, Denmark. ullava@sund.ku.dk
Howe, D K
    Olsen, S N
      Nielsen, M K

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Ascaridoidea / genetics
        • Ascaridoidea / immunology
        • Ascaridoidea / isolation & purification
        • Cestoda / genetics
        • Cestoda / immunology
        • Cestoda / isolation & purification
        • Feces / parasitology
        • Gastrointestinal Tract / parasitology
        • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
        • Horse Diseases / parasitology
        • Horses
        • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / diagnosis
        • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / parasitology
        • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / veterinary
        • Species Specificity
        • Strongyle Infections, Equine / diagnosis
        • Strongyle Infections, Equine / parasitology
        • Strongyloidea / genetics
        • Strongyloidea / immunology
        • Strongyloidea / isolation & purification

        Citations

        This article has been cited 19 times.
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