Prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes, parasite control practices and anthelmintic resistance patterns in a working horse population in Egypt.
Authors: Salem Shebl E, Abd El-Ghany Amany M, Hamad Mohamed H, Abdelaal Ahmed M, Elsheikh Hussein A, Hamid Alaa A, Saud Mohamed A, Daniels Simon P, Ras Refaat
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Working horse populations in developing regions face distinct parasite management challenges, yet evidence on anthelmintic efficacy in these settings remains sparse—prompting this Egyptian cross-sectional investigation of 644 working horses across two provinces to determine strongyle and *Parascaris equorum* prevalence and to assess resistance patterns to commonly used wormers. Faecal egg counts revealed relatively modest parasite burdens overall, with 88.4% of horses carrying low strongyle infections (0–199 epg), whilst 5.9% and 5.8% harboured medium and high burdens respectively; *P. equorum* infection was detected in just 5.1% of the population. When 146 horses with ≥50 strongyle epg underwent faecal egg count reduction testing post-treatment with ivermectin, doramectin, or fenbendazole (33, 33, and 30 horses respectively), all three anthelmintics demonstrated near-perfect efficacy (100%, 99.97%, and 100% reduction rates), indicating no resistance to macrocyclic lactones or benzimidazoles in this cohort. Recent anthelmintic use in the preceding 12 months significantly reduced strongyle infection likelihood (odds ratio 0.26), whilst *P. equorum* infection showed age-dependent patterns, with older horses and females less susceptible than younger, male individuals. For practitioners managing working horses in similar arid or resource-limited contexts, these findings suggest that current first-line anthelmintics remain reliable tools, though the low baseline infection rates warrant consideration of targeted rather than blanket dosing strategies to preserve drug efficacy.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Current anthelmintic drugs (ivermectin, doramectin, fenbendazole) remain fully effective in Egyptian working horse populations, suggesting current deworming protocols are appropriate
- •Regular anthelmintic treatment within 12 months significantly reduces strongyle infection risk, supporting continued routine parasite control programs
- •Young male horses warrant closer monitoring for Parascaris equorum infections, which may require targeted treatment strategies
Key Findings
- •Low prevalence of strongyle infection in Egyptian working horses: 88.4% with low-level infection (0-199 epg), 5.9% medium (200-500 epg), and 5.8% high (>500 epg)
- •No evidence of anthelmintic resistance detected: strongyle FECR was 100% for ivermectin and fenbendazole, and 99.97% for doramectin
- •Anthelmintic treatment in the preceding 12 months significantly reduced strongyle infection risk (OR=0.26, P<0.001)
- •Parascaris equorum prevalence was 5.1%, significantly associated with younger age and male sex (OR=2.86 for males, P=0.005)