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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020)

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Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Veneziano

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Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples ‘‘Federico II’’, Via F. Delpino, 1-80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: parasitology; canine vector-borne diseases
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Dr. Francesco Buono

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Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, 1-80137 Naples, Italy
Interests: anthelmintic resistance; donkey parasite

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Dear Colleagues,

The good health status and welfare of horses and other equids is a prerequisite for their experiencing a high-quality life. Providing environmental and management conditions that favor animal welfare is also important to obtain an excellent level of performance in sport horses. There are some indicators of the health status of horses, such as body condition score, hydration status, pain or lameness scales, and respiratory parameters. Among the diseases that can compromise the health status of equids it is important to consider parasitic diseases. Equine internal parasites are ubiquitous in equids worldwide and these parasites, especially intestinal strongyles and Parascaris spp., can have a negative impact on animal productivity, health and welfare. Parasite control practices were based on frequent treatments at fixed intervals without diagnostic surveillance. Although anthelmintic treatments represent the main strategy to control equine endoparasitosis, their overuse has determined the development of anthelmintic resistance worldwide.

The most common fields of research into horse parasites are focused on the spread of anthelmintic resistance and the efficacy of the three anthelmintic classes available against internal parasites, especially small strongyles.

Prof. Vincenzo Veneziano
Dr. Francesco Buono
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Intestinal strongyles
Ascarids
Pinworms
Anoplocephalidae
Anthelmintic resistance
Anthelmintic treatment
Equids
Parasites
Welfare

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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18 pages, 2536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gastrointestinal Parasitism in Miranda Donkeys: Epidemiology and Selective Control of Strongyles Infection in the Northeast of Portugal

by Sérgio Ramalho Sousa, Sofia Anastácio, Miguel Nóvoa, Adolfo Paz-Silva and Luís Manuel Madeira de Carvalho

Animals 2021, 11(1), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010155 - 11 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2802

Abstract

In Portugal, equine parasitism in pasture animals is characterized by high parasitic burden and high helminthic biodiversity; both factors are potentially pathogenic for their hosts. The decrease in the number of donkeys over the last years in Portugal, their importance in rural lowland and mountain ecosystems and pastures and the scarce information regarding their parasitism led to this research, which aimed to evaluate the parasitological status of a Miranda donkey breed population, a native breed mainly located in the northeast of Portugal. This study provides better knowledge of their gastrointestinal parasitism, particularly strongyles, and the assessment of a targeted selective treatment (TST) as an alternative control approach of their parasitism. A longitudinal observational study was developed during a period of five years in a population of 62 Miranda donkeys. At first, strategic deworming of these animals was performed every semester, but this was progressively replaced by a TST approach according to the levels of Eggs per Gram (EPG). This new deworming strategy was conducted in association with a regular parasitological monitoring of the animals every three months, being dewormed with ivermectin when egg shedding was higher than 500 EPG. Over the study period, a decrease of the annual prevalence rate of infection by gastrointestinal strongyles was observed, from 35.5% to 19.4%, as well as a negative binomial distribution of parasitic strongyles in donkeys submitted to selective anthelminthic control. The prevalence rate of infection was higher in females (39.5%), in individuals under four years (46.7%) and in those presenting a lower body condition (40.8%). The egg output was higher in animals younger than four years (589.3 EPG) than in those older than 10 years (533.6 EPG) (p < 0.05). However, no differences were observed according to sex during the study period. Results from this study allowed to note the influence of swampy pastures and of the weather changes in the epidemiology of strongylosis in Miranda donkeys. Moreover, it was possible to establish the annual epidemiological curve of strongyle egg shedding, with June being the month with the highest EPG, December having the lowest EPG and March and September showing intermediate numbers. Overall, a lower biodiversity of gastrointestinal parasites was observed. Cyathostomum sensu lato was the most prevalent genus and Strongylus vulgaris was the most observed large strongyle of the Strongylidae family. Trichostrongylus axei and Parascaris sp. were other nematodes with a minor frequency. The higher prevalence of strongyles at the beginning of the study showed a progressive decrease throughout the research period, and also for parasite biodiversity. Therefore, a targeted selective treatment seems to be a rational anthelminthic control approach in Miranda donkey strongyle infection and in other gastrointestinal parasites, since it reduces the antiparasitic treatments, the parasite’ prevalence and the EPG level. However, a loss of parasite biodiversity was noted at the end of the study period, as Cyathostominae were the only isolated strongyles. This can be a challenging situation in the long run, taking the ability of these nematodes to adapt easily to any deworming program, meaning that fecal EPG monitoring should be kept as a rule to a rational parasite control program. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

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5 pages, 183 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Preliminary Data from Six Years of Selective Anthelmintic Treatment on Five Horse Farms in France and Switzerland

by Liselore Roelfstra, Marion Quartier and Kurt Pfister

Animals 2020, 10(12), 2395; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122395 - 15 Dec 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2058

Abstract

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) of small strongyle populations (cyathostomins) against products of the benzimidazole and tetrahydropyrimidine classes occurs now worldwide and there is an increasing number of reports also regarding macrocyclic lactones. Consequently, and in order to maintain an appropriate horse parasite control, alternative control schemes must be evaluated under field conditions. Here we present a six-year field study on the administration of the so-called selective or targeted selective anthelmintic treatment (SAT) concept. In this study on five horse farms in France and Switzerland, 757 fecal samples from 93 equids (90 horses, 3 ponies) have been taken twice a year (between early and late spring and between early and late autumn) from autumn 2014 to spring 2020 and processed by a McMaster technique. From a total of 757 samples, only 263 (34.7%) had a fecal egg count ≥200 EpG and needed an anthelmintic treatment. This small number of fecal samples ≥200 EpG demonstrates the considerable potential for a long-term reduction of the number of anthelmintic treatments and the anthelmintic pressure by using the SAT-programme. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

12 pages, 293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gastrointestinal Strongyles Egg Excretion in Relation to Age, Gender, and Management of Horses in Italy

by Antonio Scala, Claudia Tamponi, Giuliana Sanna, Giulio Predieri, Giorgia Dessì, Giampietro Sedda, Francesco Buono, Maria Grazia Cappai, Vincenzo Veneziano and Antonio Varcasia

Animals 2020, 10(12), 2283; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122283 - 3 Dec 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3196

Abstract

Current equine helminth control strategies play a key role in strongyle epidemiology and anthelmintic resistance and have led to the recommendation for new treatment plans, which include diagnostic and efficacy surveillance. Assessing the equine strongyle distribution patterns would thus be useful and this study describes the strongyle prevalence in the equine population in Italy through coprological analysis and coproculture. In addition, individual data on each animal were collected in order to identify risk factors associated with strongyle egg shedding. Of the total number of stables investigated, 86.4% were found to have at least one positive animal and a 39.5% prevalence of strongyle egg shedding with a mean eggs per gram (EPG) of 245. A total of 80% of the total recorded EPG was shed from 12.8% of positive horses, thus confirming the need for new targeted intervention strategies. Significant differences in parasite prevalence were found based on season, sex, geographical distribution, management and rearing system, and breed. Significantly lower EPG values were found in horses that had received anthelmintic treatment, and macrocyclic lactones (MLs) were the most effective. Lastly, although large strongyles are more pathogenic, horses in Italy are mainly burdened by small strongyles, which pose an important animal health risk requiring continuous parasitological monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

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13 pages, 1074 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Analysis of Intestinal Helminth Infections in Colic and Non-Colic Control Equine Patients

by Heidrun Gehlen, Nadine Wulke, Antonia Ertelt, Martin K. Nielsen, Simone Morelli, Donato Traversa, Roswitha Merle, Douglas Wilson and Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna

Animals 2020, 10(10), 1916; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101916 - 19 Oct 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4042

Abstract

All around the world, intestinal helminths constitute one of the most prevalent life-long occurring infections and re-infections affecting all horse age groups. A range of parasite species among strongyles, ascarids, and tapeworms is known to have the potential to cause colic in horses. However, there is a lack of current scientific evidence on the actual relevance of helminth infection levels in the context of colic in horses kept during prevailing epidemiological conditions. Thus, a prospective case-control study on the occurrence of intestinal helminths in a total of 620 mainly adult equine clinic patients was conducted to investigate the association between colic and helminth infection. For each horse, a range of copromicroscopic, serological, and clinical data was obtained, in addition to a questionnaire on relevant anamnestic data, including previous anthelmintic treatment and husbandry. Using a FLOTAC-based copromicroscopic diagnosis, the highest infection rates were seen for strongyles (41.8%), followed by Anoplocephala perfoliata and Parascaris spp. (both 0.8%), with no significant difference between the two study groups. Employing a real-time PCR a 1.1% S. vulgaris DNA prevalence was found. Considerably higher seroprevalences were observed using S. vulgaris and A. perfoliata ELISAs, with 32.3% and 10.7%, respectively. It was noteworthy that no association concerning either serologic status was encountered with colic status. The shedding of strongyle eggs was associated with a 1.8-times increased risk of S. vulgaris seropositivity. Recent anthelmintic treatment was associated with the onset of colic, as animals who had received an anthelmintic during the previous week had a 2.4-times higher risk of signs of colic compared to those who had been treated at least eight weeks prior. Another noteworthy observation was that ponies were significantly less often affected by colic than warmbloods. The high S. vulgaris and considerable A. perfoliata seroprevalences encountered in this investigation should prompt veterinarians, farm managers, and horse owners to maintain consequent and effective worm control measures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

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10 pages, 1114 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Novel Equine Faecal Egg Diagnostics: Validation of the FECPAK^G2

by Fiona Tyson, Sarah Dalesman, Peter M. Brophy and Russell M. Morphew

Animals 2020, 10(8), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10081254 - 23 Jul 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4441

Abstract

Faecal egg counts (FECs) are the standard method of diagnosing the level of parasitic helminth egg shedding in horses and other grazing animals. Testing before treatment is an important factor in slowing the appearance of anthelmintic resistance in nematode parasites. The FECPAK^G2, optimised for livestock, is reported to allow owners to perform FECs on their own animals without the need for a separate microscope or any specialist knowledge by tapping into remote expertise. However, the performance of the FECPAK^G2 has yet to be assessed for equids. Therefore, a comparison of the FECPAK^G2 (G2) method with an accepted equine FEC method (FECPAK^G1(G1)) was performed, using faecal samples from 57 horses in Wales and 22 horses in New Zealand. There was a significant correlation between the FECs obtained by the two methods (p < 0.001) and no effect of the country of origin on the data (p = 0.157). The mean percentage accuracy compared to the control values (mean G2 count as a percentage of the mean G1 count, ±SStandard Error (SE)) was 101 ± 4%. There was no significant interaction between the method applied and the country of origin of the data (p = 0.814). The relative accuracy of the G2 method compared to the control method (FECPAK^G1) was not affected by the level of infection (p = 0.124) and it was concluded that the FECPAK^G2 method is a suitable method of performing FECs in horses. It is anticipated that the user-friendliness of the method will increase the uptake of FECs amongst horse owners, either by the direct use of the technology or through their veterinary practice, likely slowing the development of anthelmintic resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

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8 pages, 226 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transplacental Transmission of Theileria equi Is Not a Common Cause of Abortions and Infection of Foals in Israel

by Sharon Tirosh-Levy, Yuval Gottlieb, Lea Mimoun, Monica L. Mazuz and Amir Steinman

Animals 2020, 10(2), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020341 - 21 Feb 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2737

Abstract

Although the main route of transmission of Theileria equi is through tick feeding, transplacental transmission is also possible and may lead to abortion, or to the birth of a sick or carrier foal. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of T. equi as a cause of abortions in Israel and the risk of foals being infected at a young age. Eight aborting mares were serologically evaluated for exposure to T. equi via the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and their aborted fetuses were evaluated using PCR and qPCR. In addition, five mares and their foals (aged 4–6 months) from a highly endemic farm were tested for T. equi infection using IFAT, PCR and qPCR. Five of the eight aborting mares were seropositive for T. equi; however, none of the aborted fetuses was infected. All five mares from the endemic farm were subclinically infected with T. equi. Of their five foals, one was infected, with relatively high parasitemia and different parasite genotype than its dam’s, suggesting another source of infection. The results of this study suggest that transplacental transmission of T. equi is not common and does not appear to be a prominent cause of abortion in chronically infected mares. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

9 pages, 447 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genetic Characterization of Piroplasms in Donkeys and Horses from Nigeria

by Idoko Sunday Idoko, Sharon Tirosh-Levy, Monica Leszkowicz Mazuz, Babagana Mohammed Adam, Bello Sikiti Garba, Daniel Wesley Nafarnda and Amir Steinman

Animals 2020, 10(2), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020324 - 18 Feb 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2810

Abstract

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease of equids, caused by the two haemoprotozoal parasites: Theileria equi and Babesia caballi. Nigeria constitutes a major crossroads of animal transport in West Africa and may serve as a factor in EP dissemination in the region. The study aim was to characterize EP parasites in donkeys and horses in northern Nigeria using a molecular approach. Blood was collected from 57 donkeys and 47 horses. EP infection was detected and characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Twenty five donkeys (43.8%) were infected with T. equi, five (8.8%) with B. caballi, three (5.3%) with dual infections. Four horses (8.5%) were infected by T. equi and none by B. caballi. Four of the five known T. equi 18S rRNA genotypes (A, B, C and D) were identified. Theileria equi ema-1 and ema-2 genes were amplified in only 2 and 10 samples, respectively, showing no genetic variation. All B. caballi isolates were classified as rap-1 genotype A1. Twenty-two (42.3%) of the donkeys were positive for anti-T. equi antibodies and 29 (55.8%) were positive for anti-B. caballi antibodies, using immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). The study results demonstrate high genetic variation within T. equi parasites, suggesting that donkeys may be reservoirs of EP parasites in West Africa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

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14 pages, 718 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parasites in Horses Kept in A 2.5 Year-Round Grazing System in Nordic Conditions without Supplementary Feeding

by Eva Tydén, Anna Jansson and Sara Ringmark

Animals 2019, 9(12), 1156; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121156 - 17 Dec 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6489

Abstract

Horse grazing can be favorable from a biological diversity perspective. This study documented the occurrence of endo- and ectoparasites and sought to reduce parasite egg excretion with the anthelmintic drug pyrantel in 12 Gotlandsruss stallions maintained in a year-round grazing system for 2.5 years. Feces samples were collected monthly and all horses were treated with pyrantel, the anthelmintic drug of choice in biological diversity preservation, at study population mean cyathostomin eggs per gram (EPG) of >200. The relationship between cyathostomin EPG and body condition was studied, as was horse behavioral response to Bovicola equi (chewing louse) infestation. Eggs of cyathostomins (small strongyles), Parascaris spp. (roundworm), Oxyuris equi (pinworm), Anoplocephala perfoliata (tapeworm), and Gasterophilus spp. (botfly) were detected at least once during the trial. Excretion of cyathostomin eggs was highest during summer–autumn and increased year-on-year. No relationship was found between cyathostomin EPG and body condition. Infestation with B. equi did not affect the number of scratching sessions compared with unaffected horses. Therefore, in this year-round grazing system, pyrantel treatment had to be complemented with moxidectin to reduce excretion of cyathostomin eggs, thus compromising biological diversity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

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13 pages, 1250 KiB

Open AccessCommentary

No Worm Is an Island; The Influence of Commensal Gut Microbiota on Cyathostomin Infections

by Nicola Walshe, Grace Mulcahy, Jane Hodgkinson and Laura Peachey

Animals 2020, 10(12), 2309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122309 - 5 Dec 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3468

Abstract

The importance of the gut microbiome for host health has been the subject of intense research over the last decade. In particular, there is overwhelming evidence for the influence of resident microbiota on gut mucosal and systemic immunity; with significant implications for the outcome of gastrointestinal (GI) infections, such as parasitic helminths. The horse is a species that relies heavily on its gut microbiota for GI and overall health, and disturbances in this complex ecosystem are often associated with life-threatening disease. In turn, nearly all horses harbour parasitic helminths from a young age, the most prevalent of which are the small strongyles, or cyathostomins. Research describing the relationship between gut microbiota and cyathostomin infection is in its infancy, however, to date there is evidence of meaningful interactions between these two groups of organisms which not only influence the outcome of cyathostomin infection but have long term consequences for equine host health. Here, we describe these interactions alongside supportive evidence from other species and suggest novel theories and avenues for research which have the potential to revolutionize our approach to cyathostomin prevention and control in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Equine Parasitology)

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