Join us for an enlightening presentation on equine internal parasite management, where we’ll explore the latest advancements and strategies for combating parasitic threats in today’s equine population. From understanding resistance to implementing targeted management approaches, this session is designed to equip veterinarians and equine professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to safeguard equine health effectively.
Manage horse tapeworm infections effectively with expert insights from Prof. Jacqui Matthews. Learn testing, treatment, and control strategies.
Attendees will be cognizant of the following information by the end of the webinar:
• Horses that graze can be infected by the tapeworm, Anoplocephala perfoliata
•Equine tapeworm has an indirect lifecycle involving an oribatid/pasture mite intermediate host
• Adult tapeworms are hermaphrodite and intermittently release segments containing eggs
• The adult worms are found in caecum and, particularly, the ileo-caeco-colic junction
•Most horses have low burdens of tapeworm
• The prevalence of tapeworm varies between different groups of horses
• A main risk factor for tapeworm infection is access to pasture• Horses are infected year-round with tapeworm
• Equine tapeworm can cause colic
• The level of burden correlates with the risk of colic
• Burdens of 20 tapeworms and over have been demonstrated as pathogenic
• Serum IgG(T) levels to tapeworm excretory/secretory (ES) antigens of 12/13 kDa correlate with infection intensity
• Serum IgG(T) to 12/13 kDa ES antigens correlates with risk of colic
• Anthelmintic resistance in tapeworm to praziquantel and pyrantel was reported in 2023
• Faecal egg count tests have poor sensitivity for detecting tapeworm infection due to intermittent release of egg-containing proglottids and burdens comprising a proportion immature/sterile worms
• Serum and saliva tests that measure IgG(T) to tapeworm 12/13 kDa ES antigens can be used to diagnose infection to inform anthelmintic treatments and as an aid to diagnosis in colic cases
• Horses can be assessed in theTapeworm Blood Test 4 months after their last treatment
• Horses can be assessed in the EquiSal Tapeworm Saliva Test 3 months after their last treatment • Tapeworm antibody tests do not provide a value for exact numbers of worms but generate a score that provides a low, borderline or moderate/high tapeworm diagnosis. Treatment is recommended for horses that report a result as borderline or moderate/high
• Use of the EquiSal Tapeworm Saliva Test has led to considerable reductions in anti-tapeworm treatments in the UK, with 2 out of 3 horses tested not requiring treatment based on test results
• Control of tapeworm should combine good pasture management (low stocking density, removal of dung at least twice a week) with diagnostic testing to inform treatment decisions
• Anthelmintics licensed to treat equine tapeworm in the UK are pyrantel embonate (at twice the dose used for nematode species) and praziquantel (in combination with a macrocyclic lactone or as a single-active extemporaneous formulation that can only be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon).
