FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Severely Asthmatic Horses Residing in a Mediterranean Climat...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(18); 2928; doi: 10.3390/ani13182928

Severely Asthmatic Horses Residing in a Mediterranean Climate Shed a Significantly Lower Number of Parasite Eggs Compared to Healthy Farm Mates.

Abstract: The relationship between helminth infection and allergic diseases has long intrigued the scientific community. This interaction was previously studied in a horse family with high incidence of severe equine asthma and in non-related severely asthmatic horses from equine hospital referrals in Switzerland. Our aim was to determine if this interaction would also be observed in a group of non-related client-owned severely asthmatic horses living in a Mediterranean climate and recruited through a first-opinion veterinarian group. Fecal samples from severe equine asthma-affected and healthy horses living in the same farms and subjected to identical environmental and deworming management were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. Strongyle-type eggs and larvae were the most abundant parasites in the studied population of horses; no significant differences between the groups were observed regarding the types of egg and infective larvae. However, we observed significant differences in the number of eggs and infective larvae per gram of feces shed, as this number was significantly lower in the SEA group than in the healthy horses. This may indicate that severely asthmatic horses have an intrinsic resistance to gastrointestinal helminths. Further studies in a larger population of horses are required to ascertain the immunological mechanisms responsible for these findings.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2023-09-15 PubMed ID: 37760328PubMed Central: PMC10525552DOI: 10.3390/ani13182928Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • 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 article investigates the relationship between parasite infection and severe equine asthma in horses, observing that asthmatic horses living in Mediterranean climates shed fewer eggs than healthy counterparts.

Background

  • The research is driven by an ongoing scientific intrigue towards the interaction between helminth (a type of parasite) infections and allergic diseases. Previous studies in Switzerland on related asthmatic horses, and those referred by equine hospitals, identified a potential interaction.
  • The aim of this paper was to explore whether this interaction also occurs in a select group of non-related, owner-owned asthmatic horses living in a Mediterranean climate.

Methodology

  • The researchers used fecal samples from horses suffering from severe equine asthma, and compared these to samples from healthy horses living on the same farms, and under the same environmental and deworming conditions.
  • These samples were tested both qualitatively and quantitatively.

Findings and Results

  • The research identified Strongyle-type eggs and larvae as the most common parasites in the studied horse population.
  • No significant differences were observed between the asthmatic and healthy horses in terms of the types of eggs and infective larvae present in their systems.
  • A significant difference was observed in the number of eggs and infective larvae per gram of feces shed – the count was significantly lower in the group of severely asthmatic horses compared with the healthy horses.

Conclusion and Further Studies

  • The study suggests that severely asthmatic horses might have an intrinsic resistance towards gastrointestinal helminths, which could explain the decreased egg count.
  • The findings indicate potential for further studies on a larger population of horses, in order to better understand the immunological mechanisms causing this phenomenon.

Cite This Article

APA
Simões J, Sales Luís JP, Madeira de Carvalho L, Tilley P. (2023). Severely Asthmatic Horses Residing in a Mediterranean Climate Shed a Significantly Lower Number of Parasite Eggs Compared to Healthy Farm Mates. Animals (Basel), 13(18), 2928. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13182928

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 18
PII: 2928

Researcher Affiliations

Simões, Joana
  • Equine Health and Welfare Academic Division, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal.
  • CIISA-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4Animals), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
Sales Luís, José Paulo
  • CIISA-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4Animals), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
Madeira de Carvalho, Luís
  • CIISA-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4Animals), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
Tilley, Paula
  • CIISA-Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4Animals), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.

Grant Funding

  • UIDB/00276/2020 and LA/P/0059/2020 / Fundau00e7u00e3o para a Ciu00eancia e Tecnologia

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

This article includes 48 references
  1. Weiss S.T.. Parasites and asthma/allergy: What is the relationship?. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2000;105:205–210.
    doi: 10.1016/S0091-6749(00)90067-8pubmed: 10669838google scholar: lookup
  2. Lambrecht B.N., Hammad H.. The immunology of the allergy epidemic and the hygiene hypothesis. Nat. Immunol. 2017;18:1076–1083.
    doi: 10.1038/ni.3829pubmed: 28926539google scholar: lookup
  3. Aldakheel F.M.. Allergic diseases: A comprehensive review on risk factors, immunological mechanisms, link with COVID-19, potential treatments, and role of allergen bioinformatics. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021;18:12105.
    doi: 10.3390/ijerph182212105pmc: PMC8622387pubmed: 34831860google scholar: lookup
  4. Bullone M., Lavoie J.P.. The equine asthma model of airway remodeling: From a veterinary to a human perspective. Cell Tissue Res. 2020;380:223–236.
    doi: 10.1007/s00441-019-03117-4pubmed: 31713728google scholar: lookup
  5. Couëtil L.L., Cardwell J.M., Gerber V., Lavoie J.P., Léguillette R., Richard E.A.. Inflammatory Airway Disease of Horses-Revised Consensus Statement. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2016;30:503–515.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.13824pmc: PMC4913592pubmed: 26806374google scholar: lookup
  6. Hotchkiss J.W., Reid S.W.J., Christley R.M.. A survey of horse owners in Great Britain regarding horses in their care. Part 1: Horse demographic characteristics and management. Equine Vet. J. 2007;39:294–300.
    doi: 10.2746/042516407X177538pubmed: 17722719google scholar: lookup
  7. Ireland J.L., Christley R.M., McGowan C.M., Clegg P.D., Pinchbeck G.L., Martynski P.D., Payne R.J., Wylie C.E., Smith S., Marr C.M.. Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Recurrent Airway Obstruction in Geriatric Horses and Ponies. Equine Vet. J. 2015;47:25.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.12486_57google scholar: lookup
  8. Gerber V., Straub R., Marti E., Hauptman J., Herholz C., King M., Imhof A., Tahon L., Robinson N.E.. Endoscopic scoring of mucus quantity and quality: Observer and horse variance and relationship to inflammation, mucus viscoelasticity and volume. Equine Vet. J. 2004;36:576–582.
    doi: 10.2746/0425164044864525pubmed: 15581321google scholar: lookup
  9. Tilley P., Sales Luis J.P., Branco Ferreira M.. Correlation and discriminant analysis between clinical, endoscopic, thoracic X-ray and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology scores, for staging horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Res. Vet. Sci. 2012;93:1006–1014.
    doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2011.10.024pubmed: 22136797google scholar: lookup
  10. Simões J., Sales Luís J., Tilley P.. Contribution of lung function tests to the staging of severe equine asthma syndrome in the field. Res. Vet. Sci. 2019;123:112–117.
    doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2018.12.014pubmed: 30616173google scholar: lookup
  11. Lynch N.R., Hagel I.A., Palenque M.E., Di Prisco M.C., Escudero J.E., Alejandra Corao L., Sandia J.A., Ferreira L.J., Botto C., Perez M.. Relationship between helminthic infection and IgE response in atopic and nonatopic children in a tropical environment. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 1998;101:217–221.
    doi: 10.1016/S0091-6749(98)70386-0pubmed: 9500755google scholar: lookup
  12. Capron A., Dombrowicz D., Capron M.. Helminth Infections and Allergic Diseases: From the Th2 Paradigm to Regulatory Networks. Clin. Rev. Allergy Immunol. 2004;26:25–34.
    doi: 10.1385/CRIAI:26:1:25pubmed: 14755073google scholar: lookup
  13. Neuhaus S., Bruendler P., Frey C.F., Gottstein B., Doherr M.G., Gerber V.. Increased parasite resistance and recurrent airway obstruction in horses of a high-prevalence family. J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2010;24:407–413.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0465.xpubmed: 20102498google scholar: lookup
  14. Lanz S., Gerber V., Marti E., Rettmer H., Klukowska-Rötzler J., Gottstein B., Matthews J.B., Pirie S., Hamza E.. Effect of hay dust extract and cyathostomin antigen stimulation on cytokine expression by PBMC in horses with recurrent airway obstruction. Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. 2013;155:229–237.
    doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2013.07.005pubmed: 23972861google scholar: lookup
  15. von Mutius E.. Allergies, infections and the hygiene hypothesis–The epidemiological evidence. Immunobiology 2007;212:433–439.
    doi: 10.1016/j.imbio.2007.03.002pubmed: 17544828google scholar: lookup
  16. Smits H.H., Hartgers F.C., Yazdanbakhsh M.. Helminth infections: Protection from atopic disorders. Curr. Allergy Asthma Rep. 2005;5:42–50.
    doi: 10.1007/s11882-005-0053-5pubmed: 15659262google scholar: lookup
  17. Marti E., Ehrensperger F., Burger D., Ousey J., Day M.J., Wilson A.D.. Maternal transfer of IgE and subsequent development of IgE responses in the horse (Equus callabus). Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. 2009;127:203–211.
    doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2008.10.316pubmed: 19081642google scholar: lookup
  18. Smits H.H., Everts B., Hartgers F.C., Yazdanbakhsh M.. Chronic helminth infections protect against allergic diseases by active regulatory processes. Curr. Allergy Asthma Rep. 2010;10:3–12.
    doi: 10.1007/s11882-009-0085-3pmc: PMC2816799pubmed: 20425508google scholar: lookup
  19. Ianiro G., Iorio A., Porcari S., Masucci L., Sanguinetti M., Perno C.F., Gasbarrini A., Putignani L., Cammarota G.. How the gut parasitome affects human health. Therap. Adv. Gastroenterol. 2022;15:1524.
    doi: 10.1177/17562848221091524pmc: PMC9058362pubmed: 35509426google scholar: lookup
  20. Bründler P., Frey C.F., Gottstein B., Nussbaumer P., Neuhaus S., Gerber V.. Lower shedding of strongylid eggs by Warmblood horses with recurrent airway obstruction compared to unrelated healthy horses. Vet. J. 2011;190:e12–e15.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.12.029pubmed: 21315626google scholar: lookup
  21. Thienpont D., Rochette F., Vanparijs O.F.J.. Diagnosing Helminthiasis by Coprological Examination. Janssen; Beerse, Belgium: 2003.
  22. Carvalho L.M.M., Gomes L., Cernea M., Cernea C., Santos C.A., Bernardes N., Rosário M.A., Soares M.J., Fazendeiro I.. Gastrointestinal parasites and its control in stabled donkeys and mules. Rev. Port. Ciências Vet. 2007;102:225–231.
  23. Madeira de Carvalho L.M., Cernea M.S., Martins S., Sousa S., Gersão S., Cernea L.C.. Comparative study of cyathostomin horse infection in Portugal and Romania based in L3 subpopulations of Cyathostomum sensu latum. Sci. Parasitol. 2008;2:48–56.
  24. Marti E., Gerber V., Wilson A.D., Lavoie J.P., Horohov D., Crameri R., Lunn D.P., Antczak D., Björnsdóttir S., Björnsdóttir T.S.. Report of the 3rd Havemeyer workshop on allergic diseases of the Horse, Hólar, Iceland, June 2007. Vet. Immunol. Immunopathol. 2008;126:351–361.
    doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2008.07.008pubmed: 18775570google scholar: lookup
  25. Jost U., Klukowska-Rötzler J., Dolf G., Swinburne J.E., Ramseyer A., Bugno M., Burger D., Blott S., Gerber V.. A region on equine chromosome 13 is linked to recurrent airway obstruction in horses. Equine Vet. J. 2007;39:236–241.
    doi: 10.2746/042516407X171110pubmed: 17520975google scholar: lookup
  26. Swinburne J.E., Bogle H., Klukowska-Rötzler J., Drögemüller M., Leeb T., Temperton E., Dolf G., Gerber V.. A whole-genome scan for recurrent airway obstruction in Warmblood sport horses indicates two positional candidate regions. Mamm. Genome. 2009;20:504–515.
    doi: 10.1007/s00335-009-9214-5pubmed: 19760324google scholar: lookup
  27. Simões J., Batista M., Tilley P.. The Immune Mechanisms of Severe Equine Asthma—Current Understanding and What Is Missing. Animals 2022;12:744.
    doi: 10.3390/ani12060744pmc: PMC8944511pubmed: 35327141google scholar: lookup
  28. Deaton C.M., Deaton L., Jose-Cunilleras E., Vincent T.L., Baird A.W., Dacre K., Marlin D.J.. Early onset airway obstruction in response to organic dust in the horse. J. Appl. Physiol. 2007;102:1071–1077.
    doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00264.2006pubmed: 17158251google scholar: lookup
  29. Klei T.R., Chapman M.R.. Immunity in equine cyathostome infections. Vet. Parasitol. 1999;85:123–136.
    doi: 10.1016/S0304-4017(99)00093-Xpubmed: 10485359google scholar: lookup
  30. Stancampiano L., Usai F., Marigo A., Rinnovati R.. Are small strongyles (Cyathostominae) involved in horse colic occurrence?. Vet. Parasitol. 2017;247:33–36.
    doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.09.020pubmed: 29080761google scholar: lookup
  31. Lawson A.L., Malalana F., Mair T.S.. Larval cyathostominosis: Clinicopathological data and treatment outcomes of 38 hospitalised horses (2009–2020). Equine Vet. Educ. 2023;35:424–435.
    doi: 10.1111/eve.13782google scholar: lookup
  32. Platts-Mills T.A.E., Erwin E., Heymann P., Woodfolk J.. Is the hygiene hypothesis still a viable explanation for the increased prevalence of asthma?. Allergy Eur. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. Suppl. 2005;60:25–31.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2005.00854.xpubmed: 15842230google scholar: lookup
  33. Liu A.H.. Revisiting the hygiene hypothesis for allergy and asthma. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2015;136:860–865.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2015.08.012pubmed: 26449798google scholar: lookup
  34. Yazdanbakhsh M., Kremsner P.G., Van Ree R.. Immunology: Allergy, parasites, and the hygiene hypothesis. Science 2002;296:490–494.
    doi: 10.1126/science.296.5567.490pubmed: 11964470google scholar: lookup
  35. Piazzesi A., Putignani L.. Impact of helminth–microbiome interactions on childhood health and development—A clinical perspective. Parasite Immunol. 2023;45:e12949.
    doi: 10.1111/pim.12949pubmed: 36063358google scholar: lookup
  36. Mpairwe H., Webb E.L., Muhangi L., Ndibazza J., Akishule D., Nampijja M., Ngom-wegi S., Tumusime J., Jones F.M., Fitzsimmons C.. Anthelminthic treatment during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of infantile eczema: Randomised-controlled trial results. Pediatr. Allergy Immunol. 2011;22:305–312.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.2010.01122.xpmc: PMC3130136pubmed: 21255083google scholar: lookup
  37. Straubinger K., Paul S., Prazeres Da Costa O., Ritter M., Buch T., Busch D.H., Layland L.E., Prazeres Da Costa C.U.. Maternal immune response to helminth infection during pregnancy determines offspring susceptibility to allergic airway inflammation. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 2014;134:1271–1279.e10.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2014.05.034pubmed: 25042744google scholar: lookup
  38. Klukowska-Rötzler J., Swinburne J.E., Drögemüller C., Dolf G., Janda J., Leeb T., Gerber V.. The interleukin 4 receptor gene and its role in recurrent airway obstruction in Swiss Warmblood horses. Anim. Genet. 2012;43:450–453.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2052.2011.02277.xpubmed: 22497430google scholar: lookup
  39. Ober C., Leavitt S.A., Tsalenko A., Howard T.D., Hoki D.M., Daniel R., Newman D.L., Wu X., Parry R., Lester L.A.. Variation in the interleukin 4-receptor α gene confers susceptibility to asthma and atopy in ethnically diverse populations. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 2000;66:517–526.
    doi: 10.1086/302781pmc: PMC1288105pubmed: 10677312google scholar: lookup
  40. Youn J., Hwang S.H., Cho C.S., Min J.K., Kim W.U., Park S.H., Kim H.Y.. Association of the interleukin-4 receptor α variant Q576R with Th1/Th2 imbalance in connective tissue disease. Immunogenetics 2000;51:743–746.
    doi: 10.1007/s002510000196pubmed: 10941846google scholar: lookup
  41. Kaplan R.M., Nielsen M.K.. An evidence-based approach to equine parasite control: It ain’t the 60s anymore. Equine Vet. Educ. 2010;22:306–316.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3292.2010.00084.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  42. Kaplan R.M., Vidyashankar A.N.. An inconvenient truth: Global worming and anthelmintic resistance. Vet. Parasitol. 2012;186:70–78.
    doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.11.048pubmed: 22154968google scholar: lookup
  43. Sousa S.R., Anastácio S., Nóvoa M., Paz-Silva A., de Carvalho L.M.M.. Gastrointestinal parasitism in miranda donkeys: Epidemiology and selective control of strongyles infection in the northeast of Portugal. Animals 2021;11:155.
    doi: 10.3390/ani11010155pmc: PMC7827216pubmed: 33440886google scholar: lookup
  44. Hotchkiss J.W., Reid S.W.J., Christley R.M.. A survey of horse owners in Great Britain regarding horses in their care. Part 2: Risk factors for recurrent airway obstruction. Equine Vet. J. 2007;39:301–308.
    doi: 10.2746/042516407X180129pubmed: 17722720google scholar: lookup
  45. Boelow H., Krücken J., von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.. Epidemiological study on factors influencing the occurrence of helminth eggs in horses in Germany based on sent-in diagnostic samples. Parasitol. Res. 2023;122:749–767.
    doi: 10.1007/s00436-022-07765-4pmc: PMC9988789pubmed: 36627515google scholar: lookup
  46. Relf V.E., Morgan E.R., Hodgkinson J.E., Matthews J.B.. Helminth egg excretion with regard to age, gender and management practices on UK Thoroughbred studs. Parasitology 2013;140:641–652.
    doi: 10.1017/S0031182012001941pubmed: 23351718google scholar: lookup
  47. Elghryani N., McOwan T., Mincher C., Duggan V., de Waal T.. Estimating the Prevalence and Factors Affecting the Shedding of Helminth Eggs in Irish Equine Populations. Animals 2023;13:581.
    doi: 10.3390/ani13040581pmc: PMC9951768pubmed: 36830368google scholar: lookup
  48. Martins A.V., Corrêa L.L., Ribeiro M.S., Lobão L.F., Dib L.V., Palmer J.P.S., de Moura L.C., Knackfuss F.B., Uchôa C.M.A., Molento M.B.. Prevalence, Risk Factors and Diagnosis of Helminths in Thoroughbred Horses Kept at Training Centers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 2023;127:104536.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104536pubmed: 37448261google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 0 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.