Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada
Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada hosts one of few natural populations of feral horses (Equus caballus) never exposed to anthelmintics. Coproculture revealed cyathostomes, Strongylus equinus, S. edentatus, and S. vulgaris, with S. equinus (unusually) dominating in adult horses and cyathostomes domin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224420300146 |
| _version_ | 1818316961116848128 |
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| author | Emily Jenkins Amber-Lynn Backwell Jennifer Bellaw Julie Colpitts Alice Liboiron David McRuer Sarah Medill Sarah Parker Todd Shury Martha Smith Christina Tschritter Brent Wagner Jocelyn Poissant Philip McLoughlin |
| author_facet | Emily Jenkins Amber-Lynn Backwell Jennifer Bellaw Julie Colpitts Alice Liboiron David McRuer Sarah Medill Sarah Parker Todd Shury Martha Smith Christina Tschritter Brent Wagner Jocelyn Poissant Philip McLoughlin |
| author_sort | Emily Jenkins |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada hosts one of few natural populations of feral horses (Equus caballus) never exposed to anthelmintics. Coproculture revealed cyathostomes, Strongylus equinus, S. edentatus, and S. vulgaris, with S. equinus (unusually) dominating in adult horses and cyathostomes dominating in young horses (<3 years of age). We examined 35 horses found dead in the springs of 2017 and 2018, as well as fecal samples from live horses in spring (n = 45) and summer 2018 (n = 236) using McMaster fecal flotation and Baermann larval sedimentation on fresh samples, and modified Wisconsin flotation and sucrose gradient immunofluorescent assay for Giardia and Cryptosporidium on frozen samples. Mean strongyle fecal egg counts were 666 eggs per gram (EPG) in dead horses, 689 EPG in live horses in spring, and 1105 EPG in summer; domestic horses are usually treated at counts exceeding 200 EPG. Adult horses (unusually) had patent infections with the lungworm Dictyocaulus arnfieldi and ascarids (Parascaris spp.), and in spring, dead horses had 5 times higher odds of having patent ascarid infections than live horses, likely due to malnutrition and corresponding immunodeficiency. Fecal prevalence and intensity of D. arnfieldi and Parascaris spp. were significantly higher in young horses, and in spring versus summer. A higher proportion of fecal samples were positive for strongyle and ascarid eggs using a centrifugal flotation technique on previously frozen feces, as compared to a passive flotation method on fresh feces. Eggs of the tapeworm Paranoplocephala mamillana were present in fecal samples from 28% of live, and 42% of dead, horses in spring. This research represents several new geographic records (S. edentatus, D. arnfieldi, and Eimeria leuckarti), provides insight into unusual patterns of parasite epidemiology in a nutrition-limited environment, and has conservation and biosecurity implications for this unique equine population, as well as for parasite management in domestic horses. Keywords: Prevalence, Intensity, Ascarid, Large strongyle, Lungworm, Feral horse |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:29:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d9bc00da4cf249d1b6c10e6dd749adf0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2213-2244 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T09:29:44Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| spelling | doaj.art-d9bc00da4cf249d1b6c10e6dd749adf02022-12-21T23:52:32ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442020-04-0111183190Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, CanadaEmily Jenkins0Amber-Lynn Backwell1Jennifer Bellaw2Julie Colpitts3Alice Liboiron4David McRuer5Sarah Medill6Sarah Parker7Todd Shury8Martha Smith9Christina Tschritter10Brent Wagner11Jocelyn Poissant12Philip McLoughlin13Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, Canada; Corresponding author.Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, CanadaM.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, 1400 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY, 40546, USADepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5E2, CanadaWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, CanadaParks Canada Agency, Government of Canada, 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8X 0B3, CanadaParks Canada Agency, Government of Canada, 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8X 0B3, CanadaWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, CanadaWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, Canada; Parks Canada Agency, Government of Canada, 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec, J8X 0B3, CanadaWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5E2, CanadaWestern College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5B4, CanadaFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5E2, CanadaSable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada hosts one of few natural populations of feral horses (Equus caballus) never exposed to anthelmintics. Coproculture revealed cyathostomes, Strongylus equinus, S. edentatus, and S. vulgaris, with S. equinus (unusually) dominating in adult horses and cyathostomes dominating in young horses (<3 years of age). We examined 35 horses found dead in the springs of 2017 and 2018, as well as fecal samples from live horses in spring (n = 45) and summer 2018 (n = 236) using McMaster fecal flotation and Baermann larval sedimentation on fresh samples, and modified Wisconsin flotation and sucrose gradient immunofluorescent assay for Giardia and Cryptosporidium on frozen samples. Mean strongyle fecal egg counts were 666 eggs per gram (EPG) in dead horses, 689 EPG in live horses in spring, and 1105 EPG in summer; domestic horses are usually treated at counts exceeding 200 EPG. Adult horses (unusually) had patent infections with the lungworm Dictyocaulus arnfieldi and ascarids (Parascaris spp.), and in spring, dead horses had 5 times higher odds of having patent ascarid infections than live horses, likely due to malnutrition and corresponding immunodeficiency. Fecal prevalence and intensity of D. arnfieldi and Parascaris spp. were significantly higher in young horses, and in spring versus summer. A higher proportion of fecal samples were positive for strongyle and ascarid eggs using a centrifugal flotation technique on previously frozen feces, as compared to a passive flotation method on fresh feces. Eggs of the tapeworm Paranoplocephala mamillana were present in fecal samples from 28% of live, and 42% of dead, horses in spring. This research represents several new geographic records (S. edentatus, D. arnfieldi, and Eimeria leuckarti), provides insight into unusual patterns of parasite epidemiology in a nutrition-limited environment, and has conservation and biosecurity implications for this unique equine population, as well as for parasite management in domestic horses. Keywords: Prevalence, Intensity, Ascarid, Large strongyle, Lungworm, Feral horsehttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224420300146 |
| spellingShingle | Emily Jenkins Amber-Lynn Backwell Jennifer Bellaw Julie Colpitts Alice Liboiron David McRuer Sarah Medill Sarah Parker Todd Shury Martha Smith Christina Tschritter Brent Wagner Jocelyn Poissant Philip McLoughlin Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| title | Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada |
| title_full | Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada |
| title_fullStr | Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada |
| title_short | Not playing by the rules: Unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses (Equus caballus) on Sable Island, Canada |
| title_sort | not playing by the rules unusual patterns in the epidemiology of parasites in a natural population of feral horses equus caballus on sable island canada |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224420300146 |
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