TY - JOUR

T1 - Characterization of the inflammatory response to anthelmintic treatment in ponies naturally infected with cyathostomin parasites

AU - Nielsen, Martin Krarup

AU - Betancourt, Alejandra

AU - Lyons, Eugene T.

AU - Horohov, David W.

AU - Jacobsen, Stine

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - Cyathostomins can cause a severe inflammation of equine large intestine characterized by substantial ventral edema and pronounced protein loss. Anthelmintic treatment of horses can result in a localized inflammatory response in the colonic mucosa of clinically normal horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the systemic inflammatory response of ponies naturally infected with cyathostomins to single dose representatives of three anthelmintic drug classes, namely, oxibendazole, pyrantel pamoate, and moxidectin. Thirty ponies aged between 1 and 18 years of age were allocated to one of three anthelmintic treatments groups. Anthelmintic efficacy was evaluated using the fecal egg count reduction test performed weekly between 2 and 8 weeks post-treatment. Inflammatory responses were evaluated on days 0, 1, 3, 5, and 14 after treatment using hematology, measurement of the acute phase inflammatory markers serum amyloid A, fibrinogen, haptoglobin, and iron, and real-time PCR measurement of expression of the genes for interleukins 1-b and 10, tumor necrosis factor-a, and interferon-c. There were subtle inflammatory responses to treatment, but cytokine expression was significantly associated with the interaction term between treatment group and anthelmintic efficacy (P < 0.05). Of the acute phase markers, only fibrinogen associated with treatment group. The findings suggest that systemic inflammatory responses subsequent to anthelmintic treatment of cyathostomin infection are minimal. It is possible that this response is ‘buffered’ by anti-inflammatory products of the parasites and/or the anti-inflammatory effects of the macrocyclic lactones.

AB - Cyathostomins can cause a severe inflammation of equine large intestine characterized by substantial ventral edema and pronounced protein loss. Anthelmintic treatment of horses can result in a localized inflammatory response in the colonic mucosa of clinically normal horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the systemic inflammatory response of ponies naturally infected with cyathostomins to single dose representatives of three anthelmintic drug classes, namely, oxibendazole, pyrantel pamoate, and moxidectin. Thirty ponies aged between 1 and 18 years of age were allocated to one of three anthelmintic treatments groups. Anthelmintic efficacy was evaluated using the fecal egg count reduction test performed weekly between 2 and 8 weeks post-treatment. Inflammatory responses were evaluated on days 0, 1, 3, 5, and 14 after treatment using hematology, measurement of the acute phase inflammatory markers serum amyloid A, fibrinogen, haptoglobin, and iron, and real-time PCR measurement of expression of the genes for interleukins 1-b and 10, tumor necrosis factor-a, and interferon-c. There were subtle inflammatory responses to treatment, but cytokine expression was significantly associated with the interaction term between treatment group and anthelmintic efficacy (P < 0.05). Of the acute phase markers, only fibrinogen associated with treatment group. The findings suggest that systemic inflammatory responses subsequent to anthelmintic treatment of cyathostomin infection are minimal. It is possible that this response is ‘buffered’ by anti-inflammatory products of the parasites and/or the anti-inflammatory effects of the macrocyclic lactones.

KW - Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

KW - Horse

KW - Parasite

KW - Veterinary medicine

KW - Inflammation

KW - Acute phase proteins

KW - Serum amyloid A

KW - Cytokines

U2 - 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.08.012

DO - 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.08.012

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 24035469

VL - 198

SP - 457

EP - 462

JO - The Veterinary Journal

JF - The Veterinary Journal

SN - 1090-0233

IS - 2

ER -