Study on the gastrointestinal metazoan parasite fauna of ponies in Belgium

The occurrence and the intensity of infections with metazoan parasites of t he gastrointestinal tract of ponies were investigated in Belgium. Eleven po nies were necropsied in the fall after the grazing season, and in each case the complete gastrointestinal tract was processed for parasite counts and identification. A total of 27 nematode species, one tapeworm species, and t he larvae of one hot species were found. The most prevalent parasites were strongyle nematodes; twenty one species of small strongyles were found, wit h five of these cases being the first reported recovery in Belgium, The int ensity of infections of small strongyles was very high, ranging from more t han 400,000 to nearly 1.5 million worms. More than 85 per cent of cyathosto mes were found as mucosal early third stage larvae (EL3), All ponies were i nfected with both Strongylus vulgaris and S. edentatus. Serious lesions cau sed by the larval stages of these large strongyles were observed. The findi ngs of this study confirm the importance of helminth infections in equines in Belgium.