Diagnostic epidemiological differential study of the intestinal parasites infecting horses in Karbala province, Iraq

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the infection of horses with some types of internal parasites in Kerbala province, Iraq. This purpose was examined by a flotation test of 110 horse fecal samples, divided according to age and sex. The results of this study showed two types of internal parasites, Nematodes and Protozoon; some horses were infected with more than one type of these parasites simultaneously. Examined horses were infected with Strongylus spp. by 71.8%, Parascaris equorum by 33.6%, and Eimeria spp. by 20%. Some of examined horses were suffering from infection with more than one types of internal parasites in same time, so that 12.7% of examined horses were infected with three types of parasites P. equorum , S. spp , E. spp, while 16.3% of these animals were infected with P. equorum , S.spp. However, 3.6% , 1.8% were infected with P. equorum , E. spp., and S. spp , E. spp. Female horses were more infected with these parasites than male horses, and percentage rates of female infection reached 73.1%, 30.9%, and 21.6% with the parasites S. spp, P. equorum, E. spp., while the rates of infection with these parasites in males animal were 61.5%, 53.8%, 7.6%. Animals that were smaller than one year old were more infected with these parasites than animals that were older than one year, so infection rates in smaller animals were 74% , 34 % and 21% with the parasites S. spp , P. equorum, E. spp, while in older animals were 50% , 30% , 10% receptively.