A non-lethal method for assessment of efficacy of antiparasitics against parasites in horses such as Anoplocephala perfoliata and Gasterophilus intestinalis

Abstract

Sourcing of horses naturally infected with parasites such as Anoplocephala perfoliata and Gasterophilus intestinalis for antiparasitic efficacy slaughter studies is often difficult, expensive and usually excessive numbers of animals must be slaughtered before significant data can be obtained. To overcome this problem a “Modified Critical Treatment Method” was developed. This method does not require the horses to be sacrificed, but relies on the collection and processing of all faecal material containing expelled parasites from test animals. Efficacy is assessed by comparing, in the same horses, the numbers of parasites expelled with the test compound with the total numbers removed with test and reference endectocides. This, for the most part, means that farms that were previously unavailable, e.g. studs can now be used for the collection of efficacy data.