Prevalence of the intestinal nematodes in equines with an assessment of the therapeutic approach using albendazole and doramectin.

Intestinal nematode parasites of equines have emerged as a pressing and urgent challenge due to their worldwide impact on the health performance and economy; therefore, implementing a deworming regimen has become vital to keep a horse's parasite load at an acceptable level. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of nematodes infection, associated risk factors and evaluate the chemotherapeutic efficacy of two anthelmintic drugs by enrolling 195 fecal samples of working equines by using flotation concentration technique the positive cases were 137 working equines which the overall prevalence of intestinal nematode parasites in working equines 70.25%. Accordingly, animals were divided into four groups; Group 1 received albendazole orally, Group 2 received doramectin injection, Group 3 received a combination of albendazole and doramectin, and Group 4 was left untreated as a positive control. The recovered nematodes were Strongylus species, 87.17% followed by Parascaris equorum 30.76%, and Oxyuris equi 12.82%. Concerning treatment efficacy, the highest cure rate was among Group 3 (77.14%), followed by Group 2 (68.57%) and Group 1 (40%), but the difference between Groups 2 and 3 was statistically insignificant. Interestingly, the effect of doramectin injection was highly significant than others, especially for the reduction of Strongylus spp. and Parascaris equorum eggs according to Cohen's D test. Translating such a potent combination of drugs into endemic areas will provide significant support for deworming and control programs against intestinal parasites of equines, especially those in the migratory phase, more than albendazole alone, which has poor absorption as it requires a full stomach during administration.