The effectiveness of faecal removal methods of pasture management to control the cyathostomin burden of donkeys

Particle and Fibre Toxicology

Matthew J Denwood³  Jacqui B Matthews²  Faith A Burden¹  Anna Moore³  Sandy Love³  Christopher J Corbett³ 

[1] The Donkey Sanctuary, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 0NU, UK;Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Midlothian EP26 0PZ, UK;School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1QH, UK

关键词: Environmental control;    Nematodes;    Donkeys;   

Others  :  814275
DOI  :  10.1186/1756-3305-7-48

 received in 2013-08-02, accepted in 2014-01-22,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

The level of anthelmintic resistance within some cyathostomin parasite populations has increased to the level where sole reliance on anthelmintic-based control protocols is not possible. Management-based nematode control methods, including removal of faeces from pasture, are widely recommended for use in association with a reduction in anthelmintic use to reduce selection pressure for drug resistance; however, very little work has been performed to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of such methods.

Methods

We analysed data obtained from 345 donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary (Devon, UK), managed under three different pasture management techniques, to investigate the effectiveness of faeces removal in strongyle control in equids. The management groups were as follows: no removal of faeces from pasture, manual, twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture and automatic, twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture (using a mechanical pasture sweeper). From turn-out onto pasture in May, monthly faecal egg counts were obtained for each donkey and the dataset subjected to an auto regressive moving average model.

Results

There was little to no difference in faecal egg counts between the two methods of faecal removal; both resulted in significantly improved cyathostomin control compared to the results obtained from the donkeys that grazed pasture from which there was no faecal removal.

Conclusions

This study represents a valuable and unique assessment of the effectiveness of the removal of equine faeces from pasture, and provides an evidence base from which to advocate twice-weekly removal of faeces from pasture as an adjunct for equid nematode control. Widespread adoption of this practice could substantially reduce anthelmintic usage, and hence reduce selection pressure for nematode resistance to the currently effective anthelmintic products.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Corbett et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Figure 3.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]von Samson-Himmelstjerna G: Anthelmintic resistance in equine parasites - detection, potential clinical relevance and implications for control. Vet Parasitol 2012, 185:2-8.
• [2]Nielsen MK, Vidyashankar AN, Olsen SN, Monrad J, Thamsborg SM: Strongylus vulgaris associated with usage of selective therapy on Danish horse farms — Is it reemerging? Vet Parasitol 2012, 189:260-266.
• [3]Brady HA, Nichols WT: Drug resistance in equine parasites: an emerging global problem. J Equine Vet Sci 2009, 29:285-295.
• [4]Love S, Duncan JL: Could the worms have turned? Equine Vet J 1991, 23:152-154.
• [5]Kaplan RM: Anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of horses. Vet Res 2002, 33:491-507.
• [6]Trawford AF, Burden FA: Drug resistant cyathostomins in donkey herds; lessons in management for All equids. J Equine Vet Sci 2012, 32:43.
• [7]Herd RP: Control strategies for ruminant and equine parasites to counter resistance, encystment, and ecotoxicity in the USA. Vet Parasitol 1993, 48:327-336.
• [8]Earle CG, Kington HA, Coles GC: Helminth control used by trainers of thoroughbreds in England. Vet Rec 2002, 150:405-408.
• [9]Relf VE, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Matthews JB: A questionnaire study on parasite control practices on UK breeding thoroughbred studs. Equine Vet J 2012, 44:466-471.
• [10]Relf VE, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Matthews JB: Helminth egg excretion with regard to age, gender and management practices on UK thoroughbred studs. Parasitology 2013, 140:641-652.
• [11]Wood ELD, Matthews JB, Stephenson S, Slote M, Nussey DH: Variation in fecal egg counts in horses managed for conservation purposes: individual egg shedding consistency, age effects and seasonal variation. Parasitology 2013, 140:115-128.
• [12]Molnar V, Kassai T: The distribution of nematode egg counts and larval counts in grazing sheep and their implications for parasite control. Vet Parasitol 1994, 24(I):103-108.
• [13]Nielsen MK, Haaning N, Olsen SN: Strongyle egg shedding consistency in horses on farms using selective therapy in Denmark. Vet Parasitol 2006, 135:333-335.
• [14]Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH: Historical perspective of cyathostomes: prevalence, treatment and control programs. Vet Parasitol 1999, 85:97-111. discussion 111–2, 215–25
• [15]Matthews JB: An update on cyathostomins: anthelmintic resistance and worm control. Equine Vet Educ 2008, 20:552-560.
• [16]Molento MB, Antunes J, Bentes RN, Coles GC: Anthelmintic resistant nematodes in Brazilian horses. Vet Rec 2008, 162:384-385.
• [17]Hinney B, Wirtherle NC, Kyule M, Miethe N, Zessin K-H, Clausen P-H: A questionnaire survey on helminth control on horse farms in Brandenburg, Germany and the assessment of risks caused by different kinds of management. Parasitol Res 2011, 109:1625-1635.
• [18]Krecek RC, Waller PJ: Towards the implementation of the “basket of options” approach to helminth parasite control of livestock: emphasis on the tropics/subtropics. Vet Parasitol 2006, 139:270-282.
• [19]Francisco R, Paz-Silva A, Francisco I, Cortiñas FJ, Miguélez S, Suárez JL, Cazapal-Monteiro CF, Arias MS, Sánchez-Andrade R: Preliminary analysis of the results of selective therapy against strongyles in pasturing horses. J Equine Vet Sci 2012, 32:274-280.
• [20]Nielsen MK, Kaplan RM, Thamsborg SM, Monrad J, Olsen SN: Climatic influences on development and survival of free-living stages of equine strongyles: implications for worm control strategies and managing anthelmintic resistance. Vet J 2007, 174:23-32.
• [21]Ramsey YH, Christley RM, Matthews JB, Hodgkinson JE, McGoldrick J, Love S: Seasonal development of Cyathostominae larvae on pasture in a northern temperate region of the United Kingdom. Vet Parasitol 2004, 119:307-318.
• [22]Ogbourne CP: Survival on herbage plots of infective larvae of strongylid nematodes of the horse. J Helminthol 1973, 47:9-16.
• [23]Matthee S, Krecek RC, Milne SA, Boshoff M, Guthrie AJ: Impact of management interventions on helminth levels, and body and blood measurements in working donkeys in South Africa. Vet Parasitol 2002, 107:103-113.
• [24]Paraud C, Hoste H, Lefrileux Y, Pommaret A, Paolini V, Pors I, Chartier C: Administration of Duddingtonia flagrans chlamydospores to goats to control gastro-intestinal nematodes: dose trials. Vet Res 2005, 36:157-166.
• [25]Waller PJ: International approaches to the concept of integrated control of nematode parasites of livestock. Int J Parasitol 1999, 29:155-164. discussion 183–4
• [26]Matthews JB, Burden FA: Common helminth infections of donkeys and their control in temperate regions. Equine Vet Educ 2013, 25(9):461-467.
• [27]MAFF: Manual of veterinary parasitological laboratory techniques. London: HMSO; 1986:166.
• [28]Jorgensen RJ: Isolation of infective Dictyocaulus Larvae from herbage. Vet Parasitol 1975, 1:61-67.
• [29]Plummer M: Just Another Gibbs Sampler (JAGS). 2008.
• [30]R Core Team: R: A language and environment for statistical computing. 2013.
• [31]Denwood MJ: runjags: Run Bayesian MCMC models in the BUGS syntax from within R. 2013.
• [32]Spiegelhalter DJ, Best NG, Carlin BP, Van Der Linde A: Bayesian measures of model complexity and fit. J R Stat Soc Ser B (Statistical Methodol) 2002, 64:583-639.
• [33]Herd RP: Epidemiology and control of equine strongylosis at newmarket. Equine Vet J 1986, 18:447-452.
• [34]Matthee S, McGeoch MA: Helminths in horses: use of selective treatment for the control of strongyles. J S Afr Vet Assoc 2004, 75:129-136.
• [35]Durie PH: Parasitic gastro-enteritis of cattle: the distribution and survival of infective strongyle larvae on pasture. Aust J Agric Res 1961, 12:1200-1211.
• [36]English AW: The epidemiology of equine strongylosis in Southern Queensland 1. The Bionomics of the free-living stages in faeces and on pasture. Aust Vet J 1979, 55:299-305.
• [37]Larsen M: Biological control of helminths. Int J Parasitol 1999, 29:139-146.
• [38]Basáñez MG, Marshall C, Carabin H, Gyorkos T, Joseph L: Bayesian statistics for parasitologists. Trends Parasitol 2004, 20:85-91.
• [39]Paterson S, Lello J: Mixed models: getting the best use of parasitological data. Trends Parasitol 2003, 19:370-375.
• [40]Wilson K, Grenfell BT: Generalized linear modelling for parasitologists. Parasitol Today 1997, 13:33-38.
• [41]O’Hara RB, Kotze DJ: Do not log-transform count data. Methods Ecol Evol 2010, 1:118-122.
• [42]Denwood MJ, Stear MJ, Matthews L, Reid SWJ, Toft N, Innocent GT: The distribution of the pathogenic nematode Nematodirus battus in lambs is zero-inflated. Parasitology 2008, 135:1225-1235.
• [43]Denwood MJ, Reid SWJ, Love S, Nielsen MK, Matthews L, McKendrick IJ, Innocent GT: Comparison of three alternative methods for analysis of equine faecal Egg count reduction test data. Prev Vet Med 2010, 93:316-323.
• [44]Matthee S, Krecek RC, Guthrie AJ: Effect of management interventions on the helminth parasites recovered from donkeys in South Africa. J Parasitol 2002, 88:171-179.
• [45]Oryan A, Farjani Kish G, Rajabloo M: Larval cyathostominosis in a working donkey. J Parasit Dis 2013. http://link.springer.com/journal/12639/onlineFirst/page/6 webcite
• [46]Seri HI, Abakar AD, Abdelrahman A, Tigani TA: Efficacy of Ivermectin in an injectable formulation against gastrointestinal nematodes of donkeys ( Equus asinus ). Vet Arh 2005, 75:369-374.
• [47]Döpfer D, Kerssens CM, Meijer YGM, Boersema JH, Eysker M: Shedding consistency of strongyle-type eggs in Dutch boarding horses. Vet Parasitol 2004, 124:249-258.
• [48]Von S-HG, Traversa D, Demeler J, Rohn K, Milillo P, Schurmann S, Lia R, Perrucci S, Di Regalbono AF, Beraldo P, Barnes H, Cobb R, Boeckh A: Effects of worm control practices examined by a combined faecal egg count and questionnaire survey on horse farms in Germany, Italy and the UK. Parasit Vectors 2009, 2 Suppl 2:S3.