The capacity of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans to prevent strongyle infections in foals on pasture.
Abstract: A field trial was conducted to evaluate the potential of the nematode-destroying fungus Duddingtonia flagrans to control free-living stages of horse strongyles. In late Spring 2 groups of horses (yearlings) with mixed infections of strongyles were allowed to contaminate 2 equal-sized pastures. One of the groups (F) received a daily dose of D. flagrans mixed in a feed supplement, while the other (C) received a similar amount of supplement without fungus. During a 3-month contamination period strongyle egg counts in faeces and number of infective strongyle larvae harvested from faecal cultures were determined. Grass samples were collected fortnightly. After the contamination period the yearlings were removed and 2 groups of young tracer foals (TF and TC) grazed the fungus and control pastures respectively for 4 weeks, housed for another 15 weeks and then killed to determine their worm burdens. The number of larvae in cultures from group TF was significantly lower than that in TC and herbage infectivity was reduced to a very low level on the pasture grazed by horses fed fungi. The number of Strongylus vulgaris and Strongylus edentatus larvae was also significantly lowered in group TF. Cyathostome larvae recovered from the mucosa of the ventral and dorsal colon and from the caecum were significantly lowered in group TF foals. Also, the number of strongyles found in the gut contents of group TF foals were significantly reduced in the dorsal colon, but numbers of worms in the ventral colon and in the caecum were similar to those of the controls.
Publication Date: 1996-07-01 PubMed ID: 8710410DOI: 10.1017/s003118200006621xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research evaluates the effectiveness of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans in controlling horse strongyles, a type of parasite. It found that daily doses of this fungus significantly reduced counts of parasitic eggs and larvae, thus lowering the overall levels of infection in horses.
Methodology
- The trial put forward two groups of horses, both with mixed infections of strongyles, which were allowed to roam in two similar-sized pastures.
- The two groups differed in that one group (F) received daily doses of Duddingtonia flagrans mixed in a feed supplement, while the other group (C) did not have the fungus in their feed.
- The levels of strongyle egg counts in the horses’ faeces and number of infective strongyle larvae collected from the faecal cultures were monitored over a period of three months.
- After this contamination period, the two groups of horses were replaced with young foals, which were allowed to graze in the pastures for a set period. Worm burdens in these foals were then determined.
Results
- The trial found that the number of larvae harvested from group F (those fed D. flagrans) was significantly lower compared to group C.
- Additionally, herbage infectivity was reduced significantly in the pasture inhabited by the D. flagrans-fed horses.
- Compared to the control group, group F had significantly fewer parasites, both in terms of Strongylus vulgaris and Strongylus edentatus larvae.
- Foals that were placed in the pastures after the contamination period had notable reductions in larval counts, particularly in regions of the ventral and dorsal colon and the caecum.
- The gut contents from group F foals showed significant reductions in the number of strongyles, except in the ventral colon and caecum, where the counts remained similar to the control group.
Conclusions
- The study suggests that the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans can serve as an effective biological control agent against parasitic infections in foals.
- Its results support the use of this fungus in controlling free-living stages of horse strongyles and thereby reducing parasite burdens in foals.
Cite This Article
APA
Larsen M, Nansen P, Grøndahl C, Thamsborg SM, Grønvold J, Wolstrup J, Henriksen SA, Monrad J.
(1996).
The capacity of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans to prevent strongyle infections in foals on pasture.
Parasitology, 113 ( Pt 1), 1-6.
https://doi.org/10.1017/s003118200006621x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg C, Denmark. mila@kvl.dk
MeSH Terms
- Animal Feed / microbiology
- Animals
- Feces / parasitology
- Food, Fortified
- Horses
- Larva / growth & development
- Mitosporic Fungi / physiology
- Parasite Egg Count / veterinary
- Poaceae / parasitology
- Strongyle Infections, Equine / prevention & control
- Strongylus / growth & development
- Strongylus / isolation & purification
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Bampidis V, Azimonti G, de Lourdes Bastos M, Christensen H, Dusemund B, Kos Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M, Ramos F, Sanz Y, Villa RE, Woutersen R, Chesson A, Cocconcelli PS, Rychen G, Wallace J, Galobart J, Innocenti ML, Brozzi R, Saarela M. Safety and efficacy of BioWorma(®) (Duddingtonia flagrans NCIMB 30336) as a feed additive for all grazing animals.. EFSA J 2020 Jul;18(7):e06208.
- Buske R, Santurio JM, de Oliveira CV, Bianchini LA, da Silva JH, de la Rue ML. In vitro influence of temperature on the biological control activity of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans against Haemonchus contortus in sheep.. Parasitol Res 2013 Feb;112(2):473-8.
- de Almeida GL, Santurio JM, Filho JO, Zanette RA, Camillo G, Flores AG, da Silva JH, de la Rue ML. Predatory activity of the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans in equine strongyle infective larvae on natural pasture in the Southern Region of Brazil.. Parasitol Res 2012 Feb;110(2):657-62.
- Sagüés MF, Fusé LA, Fernández AS, Iglesias LE, Moreno FC, Saumell CA. Efficacy of an energy block containing Duddingtonia flagrans in the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.. Parasitol Res 2011 Sep;109(3):707-13.
- Sanyal PK, Chauhan JB, Mukhopadhyaya PN. Implications of fungicidal effects of benzimidazole compounds on Duddingtonia flagrans in integrated nematode parasite management in livestock.. Vet Res Commun 2004 Jul;28(5):375-85.
- Sanyal PK, Mukhopadhyaya PN. Top dressing of feed with desiccated chlamydospores of Duddingtonia flagrans for biological control of the pre-parasitic stages of ovine Haemonchus contortus.. Vet Res Commun 2003 Jul;27(5):381-90.
- Grønvold J, Wolstrup J, Larsen M, Nansen P, Bjørn H. Absence of obvious short-term impact of the nematode-trapping fungus Duddingtonia flagrans on survival and growth of the earthworm Aporrectodea longa.. Acta Vet Scand 2000;41(2):147-51.
- Henriksen SA, Larsen M, Grønvold J, Nansen P, Wolstrup J. Nematode-trapping fungi in biological control of Dictyocaulus viviparus.. Acta Vet Scand 1997;38(2):175-9.
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