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Equine strongyle communities are constrained by horse sex and species dipersal-fecundity trade-off.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Equine strongyles are a major health issue. Large strongyles can cause death of horses while cyathostomins (small strongyles) have shown increased resistance to anthelmintics worldwide. Description of strongyle communities have accumulated but little is known about the diversity of these communities and underpinning environmental factors. METHODS:Strongyles were recovered after ivermectin treatment from 48 horses located in six premises in Poland. Correlation between previously published species fecundity and the observed relative abundance and prevalence were estimated. Significance of horse sex was determined at the species level (prevalence, relative abundance) and at the community level (species richness and dissimilarity between communities). RESULTS:Strongyle species fell into two groups, contrasted by their prevalence and relative abundance. Six to nine horses were necessary to sample at least 90% of strongyle community diversity, providing a minimal cut-off to implement sampling trial in the field. Strongyle communities entertained a network of mostly positive interactions and species co-occurrence was found more often than expected by chance. In addition, species fecundity and prevalence were negatively correlated (Pearson's r = -0.71), suggesting functional trade-offs between species dispersal abilities and fecundity. This functional trade-off may underpin species coexistence. Horse sex was also a significant constraint shaping strongyle communities. Indeed, mares generally displayed more similar strongyle communities than stallions (P = 0.003) and Cylicostephanus calicatus was more abundant in stallions suggesting sex-specific interactions (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS:While niche partitioning is likely to explain some of the positive interactions between equine strongyle species, coexistence may also result from a functional trade-off between dispersal ability and fecundity. There is significant evidence that horse sex drives strongylid community structure, which may require differential control strategies between mares and stallions.

SUBMITTER: Salle G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5930759 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Equine strongyle communities are constrained by horse sex and species dipersal-fecundity trade-off.

Sallé Guillaume G Kornaś Sławomir S Basiaga Marta M

Parasites & vectors 20180502 1

<h4>Background</h4>Equine strongyles are a major health issue. Large strongyles can cause death of horses while cyathostomins (small strongyles) have shown increased resistance to anthelmintics worldwide. Description of strongyle communities have accumulated but little is known about the diversity of these communities and underpinning environmental factors.<h4>Methods</h4>Strongyles were recovered after ivermectin treatment from 48 horses located in six premises in Poland. Correlation between pr ...[more]

PMID: 29716644

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Project description:Ovine parasitic gastroenteritis is a complex disease routinely treated using anthelmintics. Although many different strongyle species may contribute to parasitic gastroenteritis, not all are equally pathogenic: in temperate regions, the primary pathogen is Teladorsagia circumcincta. In this study we investigated benzimidazole and ivermectin resistance on a commercial sheep farm in southeast Scotland. We assessed the impact of species diversity on the diagnosis of resistance using the faecal egg count reduction test and in vitro bioassays, and correlated the results with the frequency of benzimidazole resistance-associated genotypes measured in the T. circumcincta population by pyrosequencing of the ?-tubulin isotype-1?gene. Faecal egg count reduction test results showed efficacies of 65% for albendazole and 77% for ivermectin, indicating moderate resistance levels on the farm. However, PCR speciation of the same populations pre- and post-treatment revealed that removal of susceptible species had masked the presence of a highly resistant population of T. circumcincta. Less than 25% of individuals in the pre-treatment populations were T. circumcincta, the remainder consisting of Cooperia curticei, Chabertia ovina, Oesophagostomum venulosum and Trichostrongylus spp. In contrast, post-treatment with albendazole or ivermectin, the majority (88% and 100% respectively) of the populations consisted of T. circumcincta. The egg hatch test for benzimidazole resistance and the larval development test for ivermectin resistance were carried out using eggs obtained from the same populations and the results were broadly consistent with the faecal egg count reduction test. Thirty individual T. circumcincta from each sampling time point were assessed for benzimidazole resistance by pyrosequencing, revealing a high frequency and diversity of resistance-associated mutations, including within the population sampled post-ivermectin treatment. These results highlight the potential diversity of parasite species present on UK farms, and their importance in the diagnosis of anthelmintic resistance. On this particular farm, we demonstrate the presence of a highly dual-resistant population of T. circumcincta, which was strongly selected by treatment with either benzimidazoles or ivermectin, while other potentially less pathogenic species were removed.

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Equine strongyle communities are constrained by horse sex and species dipersal-fecundity trade-off.

Publications

Equine strongyle communities are constrained by horse sex and species dipersal-fecundity trade-off.

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