Course of internal parasite invasion in the primitive Polish horse herd from woodland breeding.

摘要

This study was carried out from January to December in a herd of primitive Polish horses consisting of a 17-year-old stallion (n=1), eight mares (1-17-years-old) and seven foals born in April, May and August. Recent excrement was examined by flotation method according to Fulleborn and McMaster. Only an invasion of toothed strongyles occurred throughout the year in the stallion, its intensity fluctuated between 300 in February and 1300 epg in October. Strongyles, eggs of Parascaris equorum and tapeworms were isolated from the mares for some months. The highest number of strongyle eggs in mares' excrement was found in July (2700 epg) and November (1400 epg), and was lowest in February (200 epg). The eggs of Parascaris equorum were detected in June in 1 and 17-year-old mares and in August in a 14-year-old one. Tapeworm eggs were found in a 1-year-old mare in May and October and in a 17-year-old mare in May and June. Eggs of strongyles and Parascaris equorum appeared in June in foals born in April. 100% of the foals were infected with toothed strongyles in September. The eggs of Parascaris sp. occurred in June and July in the excrement of a 3-month-old foal and in September in all foals born in April and May. The tapeworm invasion was noted in one foal in September and in the second one in November. The intensity of toothed strongyle invasion in foals fluctuated between 30 epg (June) and 300 epg (July, November, December). The intensity of Parascaris equorum and tapeworms were 20-300 epg and 20-60 epg, respectively. The presence of a large number of toothed strongyle eggs and a considerably lesser number of Parascaris sp. and tapeworms in the excrement of the examined animals is connected with the environment where the primitive Polish horses have continually lived for >50 years. It was also noticed that the intensity of invasion depended on sex, age and period of investigation..