Equine helminth infections: control by selective chemotherapy

A programme of selective anthelmintic therapy was used in a herd of 31 horses. Faecal egg counts were done during the months of September, November, January, March, May and the following September. Horses with greater than or equal to 100 eggs per gram (epg) were treated with ivermectin, and those with less than 100 epg were not treated. The criteria for adequate internal parasite control in the herd was a median herd faecal egg count of less than or equal to 100 epg. Effectiveness of selective therapy was assessed by faecal egg count after nine months of treatment and was determined to be adequate when a median herd egg count of 0 epg was obtained. However, on returning from pasture the following September, median herd egg count had risen to 325 epg. A statistically significant correlation was seen in the paired September faecal egg counts of the horses in that initial September faecal egg count was predictive for the following September. Initial September faecal egg count was related to the number of anthelmintic treatments required during the period of selective therapy, whereas age of horse was not. We propose that faecal egg counts be incorporated into strategic anthelmintic programmes as an economical tool for identifying and targeting herd members predisposed to shedding elevated numbers of helminth eggs.