Seasonal effects on the gastrointestinal parasites in horses at Port Harcourt Polo, Rivers State, Nigeria

The current study examined various gastrointestinal (GI) parasite species to which the horses at Polo Club, Port Harcourt were exposed during the rainy and dry seasons. Between September 2023 and February 2024, a total of 80 Polo horses were evaluated. During each season, forty horses of various sexes and breeds were examined. The animals were classified as young (˂4 years), adult (4 – 10 years), and old (˃10 years). Feacal samples were collected from each horse and soil samples were also collected from three different spots within the Polo Club. Floatation technique was used to ascertain the faecal and soil eggs of the identified parasite species. The results were presented using descriptive statistics. Chi-square was used to analyze the data and P ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant. The result revealed a significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher GI parasite prevalence during the rainy season compared with those recorded during the dry season. Seasonal results showed that Strongylus and Strongyloides species were highly prevalent. The results indicated that the horses had four (4) helminths parasites during the rainy season: Stronglyus spp. (90%), Strongyloides spp. (97.5%), Gastrodiscus spp. (25%), Trichonema spp. (25%), and one (1) intestinal protozoan parasite, Eimeria spp. (2.5%). The findings during the dry season showed that there were Strongylus spp (82.5%), Stongyloides spp (70%), Triodontophorus spp (5%), and Oxyuris spp (2.5%). The outcome showed that there was no significant (P > 0.05) association between sex of the horses and prevalence of GI parasites while there was significant association between season, age, breed and prevalence across different season. In conclusion, these parasites are more common during the rainy season therefore efforts should be focused on effective management practices, early identification, and treatment with anthelminthic and anti-protozoan medications during this period.