Use of a saliva-based diagnostic test to identify tapeworm infection in horses in the UK.
Abstract: Anthelmintic resistance combined with limited chemotherapeutic options has prompted a change in approaches to control of equine helminth infections. Targeted selective treatment strategies use diagnostics to reduce anthelmintic use by treating individuals with worm burdens or egg shedding levels above a set threshold. While faecal egg count analysis has limitations for informing tapeworm treatment, a commercially available saliva-based diagnostic test accurately diagnoses horses with tapeworm infection. Objective: Evaluation of a saliva-based diagnostic test to identify horses naturally infected with tapeworm and assess the impact of using the test to inform anthelmintic administration. Methods: Retrospective longitudinal study. Methods: Saliva was collected from horses (n = 237) at a UK welfare charity from autumn 2015 to autumn 2016. Horses diagnosed as positive for tapeworm infection using the EquiSal® Tapeworm test were anthelmintic treated according to weight. The number of horses that received anthelmintic treatment based on the test result was compared with an all-group treatment approach and the reduction in anthelmintic usage calculated. Incoming horses were also tested (n = 143) and the information was used to inform quarantine treatments. Results: In autumn 2015, 85% of 237 horses tested received no anthelmintic and the majority (71%) of these remained below the treatment threshold throughout the study. Of the 69 horses that received treatment, seven required treatment following three subsequent tests, while >50% of horses administered with anthelmintic fell below the treatment threshold at the following test. No increase in tapeworm prevalence within the 237 horses was observed during the study despite a substantial reduction in the application of antitapeworm treatments. A total of 41% of incoming horses required anticestode treatment. Conclusions: Other management practices were not included in the analysis. Conclusions: Compared with an all-group treatment strategy, the diagnostic-led approach used here considerably reduced application of anticestode anthelmintics. This could reduce selection pressure for anthelmintic resistance.
© 2017 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2017-09-06 PubMed ID: 28805265DOI: 10.1111/evj.12742Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Anthelmintic Resistance
- Chemotherapy
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease control
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Management
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infection
- Longitudinal Study
- Parasites
- Retrospective Study
- Salivary Glands
- Tapeworms
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Procedure
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The research article discusses how a saliva-based diagnostic test was used to identify horses with tapeworm infections in the UK, and the impact of this type of diagnosis on anthelmintic treatment administration. The study found that this method significantly reduced the use of anthelmintic treatment compared to an all-group treatment approach, which could help lower the risk of anthelmintic resistance.
Research Objective and Methodology
- The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of a saliva-based diagnostic test to identify horses that were naturally infected with tapeworms, and to assess the impact of using this test to determine whether to administer anthelmintic treatment.
- The researchers conducted a retrospective longitudinal study. They collected saliva samples from 237 horses from a welfare charity in the UK over the course of a year, from Autumn 2015 to Autumn 2016.
- Horses that tested positive for tapeworm infection using the EquiSal Tapeworm test were given anthelmintic treatment based on their weight.
- To quantify the test’s impact on anthelmintic use, the researchers compared the number of horses that received the anthelmintic treatment based on the test results with an all-group treatment approach.
- New horses introduced during the study were also tested (amounting to 143) and their results informed their quarantine treatments.
Research Findings
- The study revealed that in Autumn 2015, 85% of the 237 horses studied received no anthelmintic treatment, while 71% of the untreated horses remained below the treatment threshold throughout the study.
- Out of the 69 horses that received treatment, only seven required treatment after three subsequent tests. More than 50% of the horses that were administered with anthelmintic fell below the treatment threshold in the next test.
- The researchers did not observe any increase in tapeworm prevalence among the 237 horses during the study, despite the notable reduction in the administration of anthelmintic treatments.
- A total of 41% of new incoming horses required anticestode treatment during the quarantine period.
Conclusion
- The research concluded that use of the saliva-based diagnostic test greatly reduced the administration of anticestode anthelmintics to horses compared to an all-group treatment strategy.
- The study emphasized that this diagnostic-led approach could help reduce the pressure for the selection of anthelmintic resistance, mitigating the risk of tapeworms developing immunity to these drugs.
- However, the study did not incorporate other management practices in the analysis, suggesting that these inconclusive factors might also impact the infection level, diagnosis, and treatment of tapeworm infections in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Lightbody KL, Matthews JB, Kemp-Symonds JG, Lambert PA, Austin CJ.
(2017).
Use of a saliva-based diagnostic test to identify tapeworm infection in horses in the UK.
Equine Vet J, 50(2), 213-219.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12742 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Austin Davis Biologics, Great Addington, Northamptonshire, UK.
- Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
- Bransby Horses, Bransby, Lincoln, UK.
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
- Austin Davis Biologics, Great Addington, Northamptonshire, UK.
MeSH Terms
- Aging
- Animals
- Anthelmintics / administration & dosage
- Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
- Antibodies, Helminth / chemistry
- Cestode Infections / diagnosis
- Cestode Infections / drug therapy
- Cestode Infections / epidemiology
- Cestode Infections / veterinary
- Diagnostic Tests, Routine / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Praziquantel / administration & dosage
- Praziquantel / therapeutic use
- Reproducibility of Results
- Retrospective Studies
- Saliva / chemistry
- Seasons
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- Time Factors
- United Kingdom / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Girisgin O, Gülegen E, Girisgin AO, Cirak VY. Potassium carbonate as an alternative solution for detecting Anoplocephalid eggs in horse faecal samples. BMC Vet Res 2025 Dec 22;22(1):30.
- Northcote HM, Wititkornkul B, Cutress DJ, Allen ND, Brophy PM, Wonfor RE, Morphew RM. A dominance of Mu class glutathione transferases within the equine tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata. Parasitology 2024 Mar;151(3):282-294.
- Burcáková L, Königová A, Kuzmina TA, Austin CJ, Matthews JB, Lightbody KL, Peczak NA, Syrota Y, Várady M. Equine tapeworm (Anoplocephala spp.) infection: evaluation of saliva- and serum-based antibody detection methods and risk factor analysis in Slovak horse populations. Parasitol Res 2023 Dec;122(12):3037-3052.
- Athanasiou LV, Katsogiannou EG, Tyrnenopoulou P, Gougoulis D, Apostolidis KN, Papadakis SM, Kokkinaki KCG, Papatsiros VG, Tsokana CN. Evidence of Horse Exposure to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Leishmania infantum in Greece through the Detection of IgG Antibodies in Serum and in an Alternative Diagnostic Sample-The Saliva. Biomolecules 2023 Sep 11;13(9).
- Buono F, Veneziano V, Veronesi F, Molento MB. Horse and donkey parasitology: differences and analogies for a correct diagnostic and management of major helminth infections. Parasitology 2023 Oct;150(12):1119-1138.
- Bannai H, Kambayashi Y, Ohta M, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K. Prevalence of serum and salivary virus-neutralizing antibodies against equine coronavirus in four riding stables in Japan. J Equine Sci 2023 Mar;34(1):13-18.
- Adepu S, Lord M, Hugoh Z, Nyström S, Mattsson-Hulten L, Abrahamsson-Aurell K, Lützelschwab C, Skiöldebrand E. Salivary biglycan-neo-epitope-BGN(262): A novel surrogate biomarker for equine osteoarthritic sub-chondral bone sclerosis and to monitor the effect of short-term training and surface arena. Osteoarthr Cartil Open 2023 Jun;5(2):100354.
- Gehlen H, Wulke N, Ertelt A, Nielsen MK, Morelli S, Traversa D, Merle R, Wilson D, Samson-Himmelstjerna GV. Comparative Analysis of Intestinal Helminth Infections in Colic and Non-Colic Control Equine Patients. Animals (Basel) 2020 Oct 19;10(10).
- Jürgenschellert L, Krücken J, Austin CJ, Lightbody KL, Bousquet E, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G. Investigations on the occurrence of tapeworm infections in German horse populations with comparison of different antibody detection methods based on saliva and serum samples. Parasit Vectors 2020 Sep 10;13(1):462.
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