Comparison of FECPAKG2, a modified Mini-FLOTAC technique and combined sedimentation and flotation for the coproscopic examination of helminth eggs in horses

Table 1 Numbers, relative frequencies of samples positive for the respective helminth species/group and eggs per gram faeces in horse faecal samples (n = 1067) analysed using the Mini-FLOTAC, FECPAK^G2 and combined sedimentation/flotation methods

Test procedures	Strongylidae	Parascaris spp	Strongyloides westeri	Anoplocephalidae	Oxyuris equi
Mini-FLOTAC
Number	436a	43a	3	28	5
Frequency (%)	40.9	4.0	0.3	2.6	0.5
95% CI	38.0–43.8	3.0–5.4	0.1–0.8	1.8–3.8	0.2–1.0
Mean epg	97.3	5.3	0.44	0.9	0.4
SD epg	254.6	50.1	13.9	8.1	9.5
Range epg	0–2590	0–905
FECPAK^G2
Number	317b	20b	4	3	1
Frequency (%)	29.7	1.87	0.4	n.a	n.a^a
95% CI	27.3–32.8	1.2–2.9	0.1–1.0	n.a	n.a
Mean epg	116.5	2.8	0.17	n.a	n.a
SD epg	387.4	29.2	2.75	n.a	n.a
Range epg	0–905	0–630
Sedimentation/ flotation
Number	496a	49a	6	29	6
Frequency (%)	46.5	4.6	0.6	2.7	0.6
95% CI	43.5–49.4	3.4–6.0	0.3–1.2	1.8–3.8	0.3–1.2

CI, Confidence interval; epg, (number of) eggs per gram faeces; SD, standard deviation
Values in the same column followed by different lowercase letters (a, b) are significantly different (P < 0.01) in proportions (mid-P exact tested with P-values corrected using the “Holm” method)
^an.a indicates not available. The FECPAK^G2 device has never been evaluated for detection of Anoplocephalidae and Oxyuridae and, therefore, the few positive samples were not used to calculate frequencies and other statistics

ISSN: 1756-3305