Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Honors Paper

Degree Name

Equine Pre-Veterinary/Pre-Graduate Studies-BS

Department

Equine Science

Advisor

Dr. Steffanie Burk

First Committee Member

Dr. Sheri Birmingham

Second Committee Member

Dr. Dean Johnston

Keywords

equine, cytokine, IFN-α, age, body condition score, deworming

Subject Categories

Animal Sciences | Higher Education

Abstract

Horses are susceptible to parasites, especially small strongyles, due to their grazing behavior. Deworming is usually an effective treatment for parasites in horses, but parasitic resistance to certain dewormers can occur. Certain parasites, like small strongyles, encyst in the mucosa of a horse’s digestive tract lining. There are different dewormers that can (e.g. fenbendazole, moxidectin) and cannot (e.g. pyrantel, ivermectin) treat encysted parasites. Different dewormers can have various effects on a horse’s body, such as increasing inflammatory markers or decreasing a parasitic load. Inflammatory cytokines can help measure the amount of inflammation in a horse’s body. Interferon-α is a type of inflammatory cytokine that is a horse’s first line of immune defense against viruses, and is known to have antiviral, pro-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory properties. Different characteristics of a horse may alter the level of inflammatory markers in their body. For example, older age and higher body condition scores are correlated with higher levels of inflammatory markers in horses. This study investigated whether age or BCS plays a role in IFN-α levels in horses after deworming with fenbendazole or moxidectin. Fifty-six horses were randomly assigned to 3 groups: no treatment (control), fenbendazole treatment, or moxidectin treatment. The IFN-α levels of all horses were measured on days 0, 1, and 7. Friedman and Kruskall-Wallis tests determined that within-group and between-group comparisons were not significant. Based on linear regression models, no significance was found between IFN-α and age, BCS, EPG, or the dewormer used, indicating that these factors do not play a role in IFN-α levels in horses.

Licensing Permission

Copyright, all rights reserved. Fair Use

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