Metabarcoding study to reveal the structural community of strongylid nematodes in domesticated horses in Thailand.
Authors: Hamad Mohamed H, Islam Sk Injamamul, Jitsamai Wanarit, Chinkangsadarn Teerapol, Naraporn Darm, Ouisuwan Suraseha, Taweethavonsawat Piyanan
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Strongylid Metabarcoding in Thai Horses Traditional faecal egg counting and microscopy provide limited insight into which strongylid species are actually present in equine infections, yet accurate identification is crucial for targeted anthelmintic strategies and understanding resistance patterns. Researchers in Thailand employed ITS-2 rDNA metabarcoding sequencing on faecal samples from yearlings at a major stud farm to comprehensively characterise strongylid communities and establish phylogenetic relationships between species—an approach previously validated in other livestock but previously unreported in Thai equine populations. The deep sequencing methodology revealed the specific strongylid taxa colonising these horses, offering far greater resolution than conventional microscopy could achieve. For UK practitioners, these findings underscore the value of molecular diagnostic methods for identifying mixed infections and tailoring parasite control programmes accordingly; understanding regional strongylid communities and their evolutionary relationships also informs decisions about which anthelmintics to employ and when to expect cross-resistance patterns between drug classes. This work demonstrates that metabarcoding can serve as a powerful epidemiological tool to map parasite populations within studs and regions, ultimately supporting more intelligent, evidence-based parasite management rather than blanket treatment protocols.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Molecular metabarcoding provides superior parasite identification compared to traditional fecal microscopy, enabling more precise diagnosis and targeted anthelmintic selection
- •Understanding strongylid community structure on your farm helps identify species-specific resistance patterns and optimize deworming protocols
- •This Thailand-specific data establishes baseline strongylid communities in the region, useful for comparing your herd's parasite burden against local epidemiological patterns
Key Findings
- •ITS-2 rDNA metabarcoding successfully identified strongylid species composition in Thai horse populations with greater accuracy than traditional microscopy methods
- •Study established phylogenetic relationships among strongylid species in a cohort of yearlings at a major Thai stud farm using molecular sequencing
- •Metabarcoding approach (Nemabiome) proved effective for characterizing complex mixed strongylid communities in equine fecal samples