Parasite analysis horse - possibility of simplified fecal diagnosis?

Background

The large bloodworm (Strongylus vulgaris) is considered the most pathogenic intestinal parasite in horses. Due to the increasing drug resistance of small bloodworms, a selective deworming strategy is currently recommended for adult, healthy horses in spring. Current guidelines include an egg count in fecal samples, supplemented by analysis for large bloodworms and tapeworms. To increase availability and reduce costs, there is a need for more cost-effective testing packages.

Goal

The project aims to develop and validate a larviculture method that can replace traditional egg counting, while enabling the identification of large bloodworms.

Project description

• Carry out egg counts using the McMaster method, determining the number of eggs per gram of faeces.
• Conduct larval cultures on a known amount of faeces and analyze the relationship between the number of hatched larvae and the egg count.
• Recruit participating horses via the SVA diagnostic laboratory

Specifications

You will be responsible for the development work and for recruiting horses in collaboration with SVA. The laboratory work is preferably done during May/June while data analysis and writing the work during the fall of 2025.