Incidence of gastrointestinal parasites by stool examination methods in horses in Van.

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the distribution of digestive system parasites in horses in İpekyolu, Tusba, Özalp, Saray, and Gürpınar districts in Van Province, Turkey between June 2019 and May 2020. Materials and methods: Materials for this study consist of a total of 95 horse stool samples, 58 male and 37 female, from different races, ranging in age from 1 to 12 years. Results: Various parasitic infections were detected in 65 (68.42%) of the 95 horses examined by stool examination. While 55 of the 65 infected horse stool samples were infected with a single species, the remaining 10 stool samples were infected with two species. In infected horses, the most common parasites were Strongylidae spp. (44.21%) followed by Parascaris equorum (11.57%), Eimeria leuckarti (6.31%), Anoplocephala spp. (5.26%), Oxyuris equi (4.21%), D. dendriticum (3.16%), and Fasciola spp. (4.21%). When the infected horses were evaluated according to age groups, parasitic infections were detected in 34 (35.79%) horses aged 8 years and above, 29 (30.53%) between the ages of 5-7, and 12 (12.63%) between the ages of 1-4. As for gender groups, parasitic infections were found in 38 (65.51%) of the 58 male horses and 27 (72.92%) of the 37 female horses. When the parasite species were examined, it was determined that the highest infection rate was in the Strongylid type egg. There was a statistically significant relationship between parasite species and infection rate (p<0.05). A statistically significant relationship between parasite species and age was determined only in the Strongylid type egg parasite (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study concluded that the horses in Van Province were infected with various parasite species. Helminth infections were found to be the most common type of parasites, and we think that more frequent examination and treatment should be conducted to fight parasites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]