Investigation Of Intestinal Parasites Infection In Racehorses In Parts Of China

With the development of social economy and culture,the modern racehorse industry has attracted wide attention.Intestinal parasites can cause malnutrition,dyspeptic dysfunction and reduced athletic ability and so on in racehorse.Severe infections can lead to death.In this study,the intestinal parasite infection of racehorse in different regions of China was examined by saturated sucrose solution floating method.To determine the infection intensity of eggs and oocysts.Detection of species and genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia duodenalis by PCR method,assess the risk of zoonotic.(1)In total,621 racehorses fecal samples from 17 equestrain clubs in 15 cities in China were collected and were examined by using the Sheather’s sugar floating technique.The infection rate of intestinal parasites was found to be 33.5%(208/621),14 clubs were positive for intestinal parasites,with the highest rate of racehorse infection 100%(14/14)in Yanbian,no infection was found in Beijing 1,Shuozhou and Wenzhou.Five species of intestinal parasites were detected.The predominant parasite was Strongylus with the infection rate was 29.8%(185/621): And the infection rates of Parascaris equorum,Coccidian,Cryptosporidium spp.and Anoplocephala spp.was 4.8%(30/621),0.8%(5/621)and 0.3%(2/621),respectively.The infection rates of racehorse under 1 year of age and above were 40.5%(30/74)and 32.5%(178/547);The infection rates of stallion,mare and castrated horses were 35.5%(66/186),32.0%(112/350)and 35.3%(30/85),respectively.The positive stool samples were tested for infection intensity,the average OPG value of Coccidian was ≤200,and average EPG of Strongylid was 508.7;average EPG of Parascaris equorum was 343.3;average EPG of Anoplocephala spp.was ≤200.The turns out,the overall control effect of racehorses intestinal parasitic disease in different regions of China was better,racehorse parasite infection is related to age,immune status and feeding environment,and its clinical manifestations vary greatly,so it should be differential diagnosis with other diseases.(2)Of the 621 racehorses fecal samples obtained from located at different geographic locations,11(1.8%)Cryptosporidium positive samples,6(2.4%-10.5%)clubs were PCR positive for Cryptosporidium based on the SSU rRNA gene.The infection rate of Cryptosporidium spp.in racehorses under 1 year of ageand above were 4.1%(3/74),1.5%(8/547),respectively.The infection rates of stallion and mare were 1.6%(3/186)and 2.3%(8/350),respectively.No Cryptosporidium infection was observed in castrated horses.Two Cryptosporidium species were identified by sequencing 11 positive PCR products,C.parvum(n=7)and C.hominis(n=4),all samples are common to zoonotic species.The results showed that Cryptosporidium was more susceptible in racehorse under 1 years of age than in racehorse over 1 years of age and both can carry zoonotic Cryptosporidium species.(3)Of the 621 racehorses fecal samples obtained from located at different geographic locations,48(7.7%)G.duodenalis positive samples,11(2.2%-28.6%)clubs were PCR positive for G.duodenalis based on the SSU rRNA gene.The infection rate of G.duodenalis in racehorse above 1 year of age and under were 8.0%(44/547)and 5.4%(4/74),respectively.The infection rates of stallion,mare and castrated horses was 8.1%(15/186),8.0%(28/350)and 5.9%(5/85),respectively.48 positive PCR products were sequenced and three kinds of Agglomerates were identified.Agglomerates A(n = 10),B(n = 36)and E(n =2)were all at risk of zoonotic.The results showed that the infection of Giardia duodenalis was more common in racehorse,and the dominant Agglomerates were A and B,which were caused by both human and animal.In conclusion,intestinal parasite infection is common in racehorses in some parts of China and had a low infection intensity,and the cryptosporidium and G.duodenalis carried by the racehorses had the risk of zoonotic co-infection.In the course of racehorses breeding in the future,stool parasitology examination should be carried out regularly and targeted drugs should be selected for insect repellent to ensure the healthy development of racehorse industry.