[Strongylids (Nematoda: Strongylidae) of domestic horses in Ukraine: modern state of Fauna and structure of the parasite community].

The research study focuses on the examination of species composition and structure of the strongylid community in domestic horses in Ukraine. The author used collected samples from 162 horses across various regions of Ukraine to identify and catalog strongylid species and their prevalence.

Methodology

• The researcher used an in vivo method to conduct the study, treating domestic horses with a commonly used anthelmintic drug called “Univerm,” which is known to expel nematodes from the body.
• Faecal samples were collected from each horse at 24, 36, 48, and 60 hours after treatment, providing a robust sample for analysis.
• All nematodes expelled – a total of 90,851 specimens – were collected and subsequently identified.

Findings

• The study found that 33 strongylid species from 12 genera were present in domestic horses in Ukraine with dominant species being from the Cyathostominae subfamily, which were found in all horses, and composed over 98% of the community.
• The core of the strongylid community was made up of seven cyathostome species.
• The results showed a decrease in the proportion of Strongylinae in the community over the past 40 years – a subfamily found in 37.6% of horses and composed 1.25% of the community.
• The species with the highest prevalence was Strongylus vulgaris, found in 20.98% of horses.

Analysis & Conclusions

• The author compared various regions in Ukraine using Bray-Curtis cluster analysis, which revealed a strong similarity between strongylid communities in domestic horses in different regions.
• Further observation was that the structure of the strongylid community differed based on the conditions under which the horse is kept.
• Horses from farms with stable-paddock holding conditions demonstrated a bimodal strongylid community, where two prominent groups of species dominate.
• Contrarily, horses from stable-pasture conditions showed a more diverse community, with a multimodal distribution of species.
• This insight could be critical when it comes to designing treatments or preventative measures in the future.