Lower shedding of strongylid eggs by Warmblood horses with recurrent airway obstruction compared to unrelated healthy horses

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) Vol. 190; no. 2; pp. e12 - e15
• Main Authors: Bründler, P., Frey, C.F., Gottstein, B., Nussbaumer, P., Neuhaus, S., Gerber, V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2011
• Subjects: Airway Obstruction - complications; Airway Obstruction - genetics; Airway Obstruction - veterinary; Animals; Case-Control Studies; Disease Resistance; eggs; environmental factors; Equine; Faecal nematode egg counts; feces; Feces - parasitology; Female; helminthiasis; Horses; Hygiene hypothesis; Logistic Models; Male; Nematoda; Parasite Egg Count - veterinary; parasites; pastures; Recurrence; Recurrent airway obstruction; stallions; Strongyle Infections, Equine - complications; Strongyle Infections, Equine - genetics; Strongyle Infections, Equine - parasitology; Hygiene hypothesis; Equine; Faecal nematode egg counts; Recurrent airway obstruction
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.12.029

An association between equine recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) and increased resistance to intestinal parasites has been demonstrated in descendants of an RAO-affected stallion. It was hypothesised that members of another high-incidence RAO family (F) and unrelated RAO-affected Warmblood horses (UA) would shed fewer strongylid eggs than unrelated RAO-unaffected pasture mates (PM) under the same environmental conditions. Faecal worm egg counts were performed on faecal samples (63 F, 86 UA, 149 PM) and classified into three categories: 0, 1–100 and >100 eggs per gram. While results for F did not differ from PM, UA were 2.5-times less likely to shed strongylid eggs than PM. RAO-affected Warmblood horses may be more resistant to strongylid nematodes than unrelated unaffected pasture mates and a family history of RAO does not necessarily confer protection against helminth infections.