Here’s what he has to say about the technology that we use

Here’s what he has to say about the technology that we use

"Worm egg counts are a cornerstone in equine parasite control because we need information about the type of parasite present (ascarid or strongyle), the level of strongyle egg shedding, and the efficacy of the dewormer that we are using. Without this information, we are fumbling in the dark, but with it, we can develop a meaningful and sustainable parasite control program."

Here’s what he has to say about the technology that we use

"So egg counts are here to stay. But in my career as an equine parasitologist, I have also come to recognize some of the issues with doing a lot of egg counts. In the lab, they take time to do, and the results are very operator-dependent. Is the microscopist having a good day or are they fed up with doing egg counts? Have they been properly trained? Last, but not least, we found that the results were highly variable – even with counts done from the same sample.

With the Parasight technology, we set out to modernize the fecal egg count technique and bring it into the 21st century. We wanted to take advantage of biotechnology and image analysis to develop an automated egg counting system that removes the operator error and thereby creates a more precise method. My team has thoroughly validated the Parasight technology in my lab, and it is by far the most precise parasite egg counting technique available. As a bonus, it generates a permanent record with an image of the sample analyzed."

Dr Martin K Nielsen, DVM, PhD, DACVM
Schlaikjer Professor in Equine Infectious Disease, M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, University of Kentucky, USA