Comparison of the sensitivity of coprological methods in detecting Anoplocephala perfoliata invasions

The autopsy of 487 slaughter horses revealed the presence of Anoplocephala perfoliata in 36 animals. The invasions varied in the intensity (3 to 2,069 tapeworms) and in the level of tapeworms' proglottid maturity. Twenty nine horses were found to contain tapeworms with gravid proglottid. Fecal samples collected from the rectum were tested using following techniques: flotation with solution-saturated NaCl, decantation, McMaster's, and modified sedimentation-flotation methods (50 g feces samples, flotation solution-saturated NaCl and sucrose, specific gravity 1.25 g/ml). The number of A. perfoliata positive fecal samples was significantly higher using the sedimentation-flotation methods 21 (58.33%) than flotation 6 (16.66%), decantation 3 (8.33%), and McMaster's 1 (2.77%) techniques. The sensitivities of the coprological methods during the patent period were 20.69, 10.34, 3.45, and 72.41% for the flotation, decantation, McMaster's, and sedimentation-flotation method, respectively. Sedimentation-flotation techniques proved to be more sensitive than other one. The lowest intensity of invasion possible to detect using this method was nine tapeworms with gravid proglottid.