investigation of gastrointestinal and blood parasites in sports horses in tabriz

Parasitic infections in equines can have detrimental effects on their respiratory and digestive systems, as well as overall health and performance, particularly in sports horses. these parasitic diseases present substantial challenges in terms of animal welfare, economic implications, and public health concerns. furthermore, they have significant implications for the international transfer of horses, with some countries implementing restrictions on the entry of horses that test positive for babesia species. therefore, it would be necessary to investigate these diseases to control and prevent their consequences. in the present study, a cohort of 20 racing horses was examined in tabriz to investigate the presence of parasitic infections in summer, 2024. blood and fecal samples were collected from each horse for analysis. the fecal samples underwent examination using the clintonlin method to identify any parasitic infestations. concurrently, blood samples were analyzed utilizing polymerase chain reaction (pcr) techniques associated with specific primer pairs to detect the presence of blood-borne parasites, including theileria and babesia species. the results of this study fortunately presented that none of the horses were infected with the blood parasites including theileria and babesia species, which could be an indication of the high sanitary conditions and the suitable management in the stables, where the horses were kept. in the examination of fecal samples, two out of the twenty samples were positive for strongylus infection, which is commonly observed in grazing horses and could suggest contamination of the horses food sources. based on the present results, it was observed that parasitic infections are generally not prevalent among the sports horses housed in stables in tabriz. considering that summer season is usually the peak of parasitic infections in animals, it seems that with proper management, parasitic diseases can be controlled in the summer season. it is concluded that regular monitoring, management, and control of food sources and equine housing facilities can significantly aid in the control and reduction of parasitic infection rates.