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Transabdominal Ultrasonography for Monitoring Ascarid Burdens in Foals
M.K. Nielsen, J.M. Donecker, C.K...
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Large Parascaris spp. burdens can cause small intestinal impactions that are associated with a guarded to poor prognosis for survival. A transabdominal ultrasound technique was developed and found useful for determining ascarid burdens above ten worms.
1. Introduction
Ascarid parasites pose a significant threat for small intestinal impaction and rupture. The post-surgical longterm survival is in the range of 9 to 60%. Anthelmintic treatment has been identified as a significant risk factor for small intestinal impaction. Ascarid egg counts suffer from low negative predictive value and do not correlate with the worm burden.
2. Materials and Methods
Ten foals underwent repeated transabdominal ultrasonographic examination. A scoring system was developed with a scale of 1 through 4, and one score was assigned for each foal on each examination day. Foals were euthanized and full worm counts performed. Fifteen foals were then randomly allocated to three treatment groups: ivermectin, oxibendazole, and no treatment. Blinded ultrasound examinations were performed daily for 5 consecutive days following treatment. Foals were both ultrasounded twice by the same investigator, and by two different investigators.
3. Results and Discussion
Two consecutive examinations were found to reliably detect worm burdens larger than ten ascarids. Ascarid scores declined in response to both anthelmintic treatments, although differences were not statistically significant. Kappa values indicated fair to moderate intra- and inter-observer agreements. The ultrasonographic screening techniques can be a useful tool for monitoring ascarid burdens in foals.
Acknowledgments
Declaration of Ethics
The Authors declare that they have adhered to the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the AVMA.
Conflict of Interest
This study was conducted with support from the 2013 Zoetis HorseCall Grant.
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About
Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication
M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546 (Nielsen); Zoetis Outcomes Research, Reidsville, NC 27320 (Donecker); and Equine Integrated Medicine, PLC, Georgetown, KY 40511 (Fenger)
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