Prevalence, intensity and seasonality of gastrointestinal parasites in abattoir horses in Germany

Abstract

Prevalence and intensity of gastrointestinal parasites were studied through a longitudinal survey in 400 horses over a 17-month period in an abattoir in Germany. Three hundred and ten horses (77.5 %) were demonstrated harbouring endoparasites either by direct recovery of parasites from the digestive tract and/or in terms of faecal egg counts (strongyles). The following parasites were found (percentage prevalence, range of counts): Gasterophilus intestinalis larvae (2.25 %, 1-154), Gasterophilus nasalis larvae (0.25 %, 44), Trichostrongylus axei (11.0 %, 1-3,620), Habronema majus (8.0 %; 1-422), Habronema muscae (26.5 %, 1-3,563), Habronema spp. fourth-stage larvae (5.5 %; 1-1,365), Parascaris equorum (total prevalence 11.3 %; adults 8.8 %, 1-178; fourth-stage larvae 2.5 %, 5-2,320), Anoplocephala perfoliata (28.5 %, 1-2,013) and Paranoplocephala mamillana (1.0 %, 1-11). Strongyle eggs (≥10 eggs per gram of faeces) were recorded in 60.8 % of the horses (10-6,450 eggs per gram of faeces).Prevalences of infection with T. axei, P. equorum and strongyles did not show a correlation to specific seasons. In contrast, a significant variation among seasons of collection was shown for the infection rates of Habronema spp. (p < 0.05) and A. perfoliata (p < 0.001). Seasonal prevalence of Habronema spp. infection was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in summer (39.0 %), autumn (34.8 %) and winter (36.5 %) than in spring (18.7 %), and A. perfoliata were significantly (p < 0.001) more often recorded during autumn (36.1 %) and winter (36.5 %) than in spring (17.3 %) and summer (15.9 %). Prevalences of T. axei, Habronema spp., strongyles and A. perfoliata in male and female horses were almost alike, but ascarids were significantly (p = 0.025) more often recorded in male than in female horses.

Gastrointestinal parasites of domesticated and Feral Horses (Equus Caballus) in Sri Lanka

“…Absence of Strongylus infections in domesticated horses could be due to effectiveness of antihelminthics given to them. Among the Strongylus species S. vulgaris is the most prevalent and most pathogenic species that infect horses (Lyons et al, 2012;Pilo et al, 2012;Rehbein et al, 2012). Adult worms live in the caecum and right ventral colon.…”

“…Adult stages of three species of Anoplocephala infect equines: A. magma, A. perfoliata and A. mamillana, of which A. perfoliata is the most dominant intestinal tapeworm of horses worldwide (Bucknell et al, 1995;Rehbein et al, 2012;Flanagan et al, 2013) and is responsible for equine colic, risk of ileal impaction and other intestinal disorders in horses (Reinemeyer et al, 1984;Getachew et al, 2012).…”

“…Parascaris equorum had known to evolve antihelmintic resistance (Himmelstierna, 2012) and this could be the reason for the presence of the parasite in domestic horses in Sri Lanka even after anthelmintic treatments. Both P. equorum and Anoplocephala may also potentially cause severe damages to horses depending on their intensities (Rehbein et al, 2012). Faecal analyses are becoming increasingly important for equine establishments as a means of parasite surveillance and detection of anthelmintic resistance.…”

Gasterophilosis in horses in Sardinia (Italy): effect of meteorological variables on adult egg-laying activity and presence of larvae in the digestive tract, and update of species

“…Currently, Gasterophilosis has a worldwide distribution, and shows prevalences ranged from 3 to 94 %. However, Gasterophilus species have different distribution in the world (Bucknell et al 2008;Anazi and Alyousif 2011;Niedźwiedź et al 2013;Rehbein et al 2013). In fact, only Gasterophilus intestinalis and Gasterophilus nasalis are distributed worldwide, whereas the other Gasterophilus species have been reported in more limited areas of the world.…”

Dışkı bakısı sonuçlarına göre spor atlarında Anoplocephalidae enfeksiyonlarının prevalansı

“…Safkan Arap ve Haflinger ırkları üzerine yapılan bir çalışmada; Arap atlarında A. perfoliata'nın, Haflingerlerde ise P. equorum ve Oxyuris equi'inin daha yaygın olduğu tespit edilmiştir (19). Parascaris enfeksiyonlarına erkeklerde daha sık rastlanırken (19,25), A. perfoliata için erkek ve dişiler arasında bir fark saptanmamıştır (7,8,25). Bu çalışmada elde edilen farkların, araştırmanın yapıldığı odaklardaki bakım ve yetiştirme şartları ile de ilgili olabileceği düşünülebilir.…”