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Strongyle faecal egg counts in Swiss horses: A retrospective analysis after the introduction of a selective treatment strategy.
Abstract: The standard parasite management of horses based on regular anthelmintic treatments, now practiced for decades has resulted in a worrying expansion of resistant helminth populations, which may considerably impair control on the farm level. The aim of the present study was to obtain a retrospective (year 2010 - 2016) nationwide analysis of faecal egg count (FEC) data from the Swiss adult horse population, related to horse age and geographic region. Thirteen labs provided a total of 16,387 FEC data of horses aged four to 39 years (average: 13.6 years). The annual number of performed FEC tests increased from 38 to 4,939 within the observation period. Independent of the annual sample size the yearly patterns of the FEC were very similar. Seventy-eight percent (n = 12,840) of the samples were negative and 90 % (n = 14,720) showed a FEC below 200 strongyle eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces. The annual mean strongyle FEC ranged between 60 and 88 EPG with a total mean of 75 EPG. Horses aged 4-7 years showed a significantly (p < 0.00001) higher mean FEC compared with the other age groups, differences were not significant among the older horses. Based on ZIP codes, samples were allocated by 70.0 %, 6.0 % and 0.2 % to the German-, French- and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland, respectively. With 222 EPG the mean FEC in the French part of Switzerland was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the German-speaking region (60 EPG). Eggs of Parascaris spp., anoplocephalids and Strongyloides westeri were found in 0.36 %, 0.32 % and 0.01 % of the samples, respectively. Based on 3,813 questionnaire feedbacks from owners in 2017 covering a total of 12,689 horses, sixty-eight percent (n = 8,476) were dewormed without diagnosis, two percent (n = 240) were not dewormed at all, whereas for 30 % (n = 3,721) the selective anthelmintic treatment (SAT) concept was applied. The SAT implementation rate differed significantly (p < 0.0005) between regions, with 33 %, 20 % and 25 % for the German-, French- and Italian-speaking areas, respectively. The rate of horses spending 16-24 h on pasture per day was significantly higher in the French-speaking region compared to the German-speaking part of Switzerland (p < 0.0001). In addition, pasture hygiene was practiced at a significantly lower rate in the French-speaking part compared to the German- and Italian-speaking regions (both p < 0.0001). Overall, the shift towards the SAT-concept represents a very promising development with respect to mitigating the further spread of anthelmintic resistance.
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2023-09-14 PubMed ID: 37837729DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.110027Google 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.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The research focuses on a retrospective analysis on strongyle faecal egg counts (FEC) in Swiss horses from 2010 to 2016, aiming to explore the effects of a selective treatment strategy introduced to control the rise of resistant helminth populations due to standard parasite management practices.
Study Methodology and Data Collection
- The study analyzed FEC data from 16,387 adult horses, aged four to 39 years. The yearly patterns of FEC remained similar regardless of the annual sample size.
- Data was provided by thirteen labs and saw an increase in the number of FEC tests from 38 to 4,939 within the observation period.
- In addition, questionnaire feedbacks from 3,813 horse owners were considered, covering a total of 12,689 horses.
Findings and Implications
- Out of all the samples, 78 percent were negative and 90 percent showed a FEC below 200 strongyle eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces. The average strongyle FEC ranged from 60 to 88 EPG.
- The study found a significantly higher mean FEC in horses aged between 4 and 7 years, compared to other age groups.
- Based on geographical regions, the French-speaking area of Switzerland had a significantly higher mean FEC (222 EPG) compared to the German-speaking area (60 EPG).
- The study revealed that 68 percent of the horses were dewormed without diagnosis, while 30 percent were treated using the Selective Anthelmintic Treatment (SAT) concept and 2 percent were not dewormed at all.
- The application rate of SAT differed significantly between the different geographical regions.
- In French-speaking regions, horses spent significantly more time on the pasture, and pasture hygiene was practiced at a lower rate compared to German- and Italian-speaking regions.
- The study concludes that approaching deworming practices through the SAT concept can potentially reduce the spread of anthelmintic resistance.
Cite This Article
APA
Lüthin S, Zollinger A, Basso W, Bisig M, Caspari N, Eng V, Frey CF, Grimm F, Igel P, Lüthi S, Regli W, Roelfstra L, Rosskopf M, Steiner B, Stöckli M, Waidyasekera D, Waldmeier P, Schnyder M, Torgerson PR, Hertzberg H.
(2023).
Strongyle faecal egg counts in Swiss horses: A retrospective analysis after the introduction of a selective treatment strategy.
Vet Parasitol, 323, 110027.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.110027 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
- Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm SNSF, Les Longs-Prés, 1580 Avenches, Switzerland.
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Länggass-Strasse 122, 3012 Berne, Switzerland.
- Bisig Tierärzte AG, Wildbrunnstrasse 3, 8722 Kaltbrunn, Switzerland.
- IDEXX Diavet Labor AG, Schlyffistrasse 10, 8806 Bäch SZ, Switzerland.
- Tierarztpraxis Arche, Sonnenrain 4, 6133 Hergiswil b. Willisau, Switzerland.
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Länggass-Strasse 122, 3012 Berne, Switzerland.
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
- Tierärztliche Gemeinschaftspraxis Zücken, Zückerain 5, 6017 Ruswil, Switzerland.
- Tierarztpraxis Dr. med. vet. Sybil Lüthi, Attenreute 6, 9315 Neukirch (Egnach), Switzerland.
- Labor Zentral, Stationsweg 3, 6232 Geuensee, Switzerland.
- Animal Diagnostic Sàrl, Avenue de Beauregard 28, 2036 Cormondrèche, Switzerland.
- IDEXX Diavet Labor AG, Schlyffistrasse 10, 8806 Bäch SZ, Switzerland.
- Zoetis Schweiz GmbH, Rue de la Jeunesse 2, 2800 Delémont, Switzerland.
- Pferdeklinik Dalchenhof, Talchenweg 7, 4805 Brittnau, Switzerland.
- Tierarztpraxis am Pfannenstil, Zelgmatt 69, 8132 Egg b. Zürich, Switzerland.
- Tierarztpraxis Waldmeier GmbH, Hauptstrasse 15, 5273 Oberhofen AG, Switzerland.
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
- Section of Epidemiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 270, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Health Balance Tiergesundheit, Flawilerstrasse 35, 9244 Niederuzwil, Switzerland. Electronic address: hubertus.hertzberg@uzh.ch.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horses
- Retrospective Studies
- Switzerland / epidemiology
- Feces / parasitology
- Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
- Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
- Strongyle Infections, Equine / drug therapy
- Strongyle Infections, Equine / parasitology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Female
- Male
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Competing Interest No COI to declare.
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Stahel L, Bigler NA, Grimm F, Schnyder M, Oehm AW. Case report: The gastrointestinal nematode Strongylus vulgaris as a cause of hoof abscess in a donkey. BMC Vet Res 2025 Jul 10;21(1):454.
- Phetkarl T, Fungwithaya P, Lewchalermvong K, Sontigun N. Prevalence of gastrointestinal and blood parasites in horses of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand. Vet World 2024 Nov;17(11):2460-2468.
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