RESUMEN
The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in Fecal Egg Counts (FEC) with regard to group size, age, sex and body condition of wild free-roaming Przewalski's horses in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (Ukraine), across different seasons, over a five-year period (2014 - 2018). We hypothesized that horses from larger group sizes would have higher faecal egg counts (FECs). The relationship between FECs and the year and season of sample collection, and age, sex and group size of the horses was analyzed. Generalized linear model using positive strongylid FEC`s as a variable response, was used to investigate the differences in FECs between the groups. Nematode (Strondylidae, Parascaris spp., Habronematidae) and cestode (Anoplocephalidae) eggs were also identified. Stronglyids were the most prevalent helminth egg, and had the highest FECs. The model for egg counts of strongylids showed that season and group size of horses were statistically significant. Presence of strongylid eggs was not dependent on age and sex of horses. We suggest that this could be a result of parasite transmission between individuals and groups in places were animals aggregate around water sources or collective farms. Results obtained in this current study broaden the knowledge of gastrointestinal parasites in free-roaming horses under wild natural conditions.
RESUMEN
The influence of internal and external parasites on the health of Polish konik horses housed in different types of management strategies in Poland is discussed. This study includes consolidated data of different authors from the past 50 years, supplemented by results of more recent research. A total of 38 species of helminths (i.e., 37 Nematoda and one Cestoda) and five Diptera species were recorded from the horses. Protozoan parasites, Cryptosporidium spp. and Theileria equi, and the Rickettsiales, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, were observed for the first time in Poland.