Parasite control methods used by horse owners: factors predisposing to the development of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes

Context Parasite control is an essential part of a broader equine health-management strategy and is often completely administered by the horse owner, with little or no supporting evidence on which to base decisions. Practical and sound advice relies on knowledge of the resident parasite species, the anthelmintic resistance status of important species, and the strategies currently being utilised by owners and managers of horses. Much of this farm-level information is lacking in the Australian literature. Aims The present study aimed to gather both farm- and horse-level prevalence data for four important equine helminth species and to gather information on the current worm-management practices conducted on Australian horse farms. Methods We conducted a coprological survey of cyathostomins, Strongylus vulgaris, Parascaris spp. and equine tapeworm on 102 horse properties, using a combination of classical and molecular parasitological methods, including a tapeworm polymerase chain reaction developed as part of the study. A questionnaire canvasing horse owners on internal parasite-control practices was also distributed. Key results Cyathostomin were present on all farms surveyed and S. vulgaris, despite being considered rare, was present on 7.8% (95% CI: 3.9–15.0) of farms. The prevalence of Parascaris spp. and equine tapeworm was 33.3% (95% CI: 19.6–50.6) and 3.9% (95% CI: 1.5–10.1) respectively. Questionnaire responses showed that the majority (85.0%) of horse owners administer anthelmintics at regular intervals of 12 weeks or less, and only 2.6% utilise faecal egg counts to inform treatment decisions. Conclusions Prevalence data confirmed the endemic nature of cyathostomin and P. equorum infections, as well as low levels of tapeworm and S. vulgaris infections on Australian horse farms. Worm-management practices were reminiscent of traditional interval-style treatment regimens that rely heavily on macrocyclic lactone anthelmintics. Implications These results suggest a need for more strategic approaches to internal-parasite control in horses to slow the development of anthelmintic resistance. Such programs need to consider the risk of re-establishment of the pathogenic S. vulgaris in significant numbers.

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Parasite control practices in Polish horse farms

Medycyna Weterynaryjna ◽

10.21521/mw.5809 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (11) ◽

pp. 683-686

Author(s):

Małgorzata Raś-Noryńska ◽

Rajmund Sokół

Keyword(s):

Anthelmintic Resistance ◽

Parasitic Infection ◽

Further Education ◽

Parasite Control ◽

Visual Evaluation ◽

Pyrantel Pamoate ◽

Faecal Samples ◽

Horse Farms ◽

High Level ◽

Horse Owners

Virtually all horses in Poland receive periodically deworming treatment. In the view of emerging anthelmintic resistance it is important to know the current parasite control practices used by Polish horse owners. In order to assess the situation and analyze it in terms of the risk of drug resistance, a questionnaire survey was forwarded to 300 horse establishments. The response rate was 49.6%. The average number of deworming treatments in adult horses was determined at 2.1. and 2.8 for youngstock per calendar year. The most commonly used drugs were ivermectin, pyrantel pamoate and moxidectin. Almost 73% of respondents indicated that they take into consideration the resistance of parasites. However, only 4,03% of the responders regularly send faecal samples from all horses for parasitological examination. In ca. 92% of cases the person administrating the drug guessed the weight of the horse by the visual evaluation. Generally, little attention was payed to pasture hygiene and prevention of parasitic infection. The responses indicate high level of awareness among horse owners of the need to control parasites. It also show the large involvement of veterinarians as a source of advice about deworming practices, so we concluded that the most appropriate way to achieve improvement would be implementation of further education programmes for veterinarians.

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Multiple anthelmintic resistance in Southern Brazil sheep flocks

Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia Veterinária ◽

10.1590/s1984-29612017058 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 427-432 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Plínio Aguiar de Oliveira ◽

Beatriz Riet-Correa ◽

Pablo Estima-Silva ◽

Ana Carolina Barreto Coelho ◽

Bianca Lemos dos Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anthelmintic Resistance ◽

Rio Grande ◽

Gastrointestinal Parasites ◽

Southern Region ◽

Parasitic Infections ◽

Southern Brazil ◽

Parasite Control ◽

Rio Grande Do Sul ◽

Parasitic Resistance ◽

The Common

Abstract Gastrointestinal parasites represent an important cause of reduced productivity of sheep worldwide. As anthelmintic are still the main control tool for these parasites, this work evaluated the efficacy of commercially available active principles in 22 sheep flocks in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In each farm 10 sheep were randomly distributed in seven groups with the following treatments: abamectin; albendazole; closantel; levamisole; monepantel; trichlorphon and no anthelmintic (control). All flocks showed resistance to at least three anthelmintics and in 20 farms only two products demonstrated efficacy for parasitic control. In two farms, there was no susceptibility to the six active principles tested. The results of this study provide evidence that the common commercially available anthelmintic are not assuring effective chemical control of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in ovine flocks in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul. Monepantel, the newest introduced drug in the Brazilian market was not effective in 18% of the flocks tested, confirming that the parasitic resistance can be established quickly after the introduction of new molecules mainly when alternative program of parasite control is not performed.

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Decision letter for "Prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes, parasite control practices and anthelmintic resistance patterns in a working horse population in Egypt"

10.1111/evj.13325/v2/decision1 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Anthelmintic Resistance ◽

Gastrointestinal Nematodes ◽

Parasite Control ◽

Horse Population ◽

Resistance Patterns

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Parasite control methods in organic and conventional dairy herds in Sweden

Livestock Production Science ◽

10.1016/s0301-6226(00)00155-x ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 66 (1) ◽

pp. 57-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

C Svensson ◽

A Hessle ◽

J Höglund

Keyword(s):

Dairy Herds ◽

Control Methods ◽

Parasite Control

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

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10122395 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2395

Author(s):

Liselore Roelfstra ◽

Marion Quartier ◽

Kurt Pfister

Keyword(s):

Anthelmintic Resistance ◽

Anthelmintic Treatment ◽

Parasite Control ◽

Alternative Control ◽

Fecal Samples ◽

Fecal Egg Count ◽

Small Strongyle ◽

Control Schemes ◽

Horse Farms

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.

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Best Management Practices for Parasite Control in Beef Herds in the Southeastern United States

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skab096.067 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 99 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 37-37

Author(s):

Christine B Navarre

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Best Management Practices ◽

Management Practices ◽

Anthelmintic Resistance ◽

Southeastern United States ◽

Diagnostic Testing ◽

Gastrointestinal Nematodes ◽

Parasite Control ◽

Best Management ◽

Beef Herds

Abstract The objective of this presentation is to outline best management practices for parasite control in beef herds in the Southeastern United States. The emergence of anthelmintic resistance in common gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) of beef cattle necessitates a new approach. Short term economic gains from anthelmintic use must be balances with programs that foster long term sustainability of parasite control. An understanding of GIN biology combined with diagnostic testing is the foundation for developing control programs tailored to an individual farm. Incorporating refugia-based programs along with appropriate anthelmintic use will promote sustainable parasite control.

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