Utilização das técnicas de OPG e coprocultura para auxiliar no controle de verminoses em equinos

Abstract

Brazil has five million equine heads, the largest herd in Latin America and the third largest in the world, which provides a gross income of over R $ 16 billion and contributing 610 thousand direct jobs and 2,430 indirect jobs. Parasitoses are common diseases in equine breeding and can be the result of several factors such as age, immunity, high stocking rate and erroneous form of antiparasites that favor the proliferation of several helminths, culminating in large losses in the equinoculture. The aim of this work was to understand the laboratory techniques of the OPG analysis from equine faeces raised in Caucaia-CE, and thus enable the application and adequacy of sanitary management in order to reduce costs through sustainable choice of parasitic disinfection, keeping it to acceptable levels. The animals were separated according to the original property and their fecal masses were obtained directly from the rectal ampulla. Subsequently, the collected faeces were packed in plastic bags and placed in a styrofoam containing recyclable ice. After the collection, the samples were taken to the Laboratory of Parasitology of the Faculty of Veterinary of the State University of Ceará, for analysis. Nine samples of property A and 10 of property B were collected, totaling 19 samples. Macroscopic stool analyzes were performed, counting OPG and coproculture samples. In addition, a questionnaire was developed to better understand the management of both properties. Macroscopic stool analysis exhibited a standard consistency stool pattern for the species, sui generis odor and moss green color for the samples of both properties, except for animals 48 and 137 of property A, which presented consistently faeces tending to pasty and lighter in color. Although the OPG values were not completely proportional to the number of parasites present in the host, the results suggested infestation of 63.16% of the total animals evaluated with adult forms of strongyloid. The results of the co-cultures indicated that the larvae found belonged to the genus Cyathostomum spp. The OPG and copoculture techniques proved to be efficient as an auxiliary tool in the sanitary management of the properties, however, they can not be used for an accurate diagnosis because it is a method subject to variation due to factors inherent in the samples and techniques. The laboratory analyzes, together with the questionnaire responses, provided an overview of the sanitary properties management, which indicated inefficiencies in the control of internal parasites of the animals due to the presence of parasitic infestation by Cyathostomum spp.