Open AccessPrevalence of endo‐ and ecto‐parasites of equines in Iran: A systematic review
Author(s) -
Khamesipour Faham,
TaktazHafshejani Taghi,
Tebit Kwenti E.,
Razavi Seyed Mostafa,
Hosseini Seyed Reza
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
veterinary medicine and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.485
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 2053-1095
DOI - 10.1002/vms3.321
Subject(s) - veterinary medicine , biology , helminths , eimeria , theileria , fasciola , prevalence , zoology , parasite hosting , medicine , epidemiology , pathology , fasciola hepatica , world wide web , computer science
Equines are subject to infection with many parasites, which threaten their health. In the present study, we systematically reviewed existing literature on the prevalence of endo‐ and ectoparasites of equines in Iran. Major electronic databases, including PubMed, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, Science Direct and Scientific Information Database (SID), were searched (Last updated 11/05/2018) for relevant literature of parasites that have been identified from equines in Iran. Of the 1809 titles produced by bibliographic search, 38 were included in the review. Twenty‐seven of the studies were on horses, six on donkeys, three on both horses and donkeys, and one study was on both horses and mules. Furthermore, 24 of the studies reported infections caused by protozoa, thirteen by helminths, two by ectoparasites, and one by both protozoa and helminths. The overall pooled prevalence of parasitic infection was 28.8% (95%CI: 22.9–35.7, I 2 = 93.4%). Helminths were the most prevalent parasites 46.7% (95% CI: 24.1–70.7, I 2 = 96.0%). Furthermore, donkeys were the most affected equine, with a prevalence of 70.7% (95% CI: 53.2–83.7, I 2 = 92.5%). The protozoa frequently reported included nine species belonging to the genera: Neospora , Toxoplasma, Theileria , Babesia and Eimeria . Also, the helminths frequently reported included 21 species belonging to the genera: Strongylus , Dicrocoelium , Oxyuris , Habronema , Echinococcus , Dictyocaulus , Cyathostomum , Probstmayria , Anoplocephala , Setaria and Fasciola . Ticks were the only ectoparasites frequently reported. Parasitic fly species of the genera Gasterophilus were also reported. The study‐level risk of bias was likely to be high because of differences in study design. Parasitic infections of equines in Iran are frequent and caused by a diversity of parasites, which threatens the health and well‐being of these animals. Further research is needed in the area to identify the risk factors of infection for effective control of the parasites.