These findings could afford a better understanding of how parasites choose their hosts within a herd and lead to the discovery of certain biomarkers that would help scientists detect which equids are more likely to be wormy. | Photo: iStock

Some horses are prone to intestinal parasites; others, less so. But why? French researchers believe it might have something to do with the microbiota—the community of microorganisms—living in horses’ guts.

The numbers of certain bacteria and protozoa in the digestive tracts of ponies that are susceptible to parasite infection differ slightly compared to microbiota from ponies that resist parasite infection, said to Guillaume Sallé, DVM, PhD, of the French National Agricultural Institute (INRA), in Nouzilly.

Those findings could lead to a better understanding of how parasites “choose” their hosts within a herd, Sallé said. And equally importantly, it could lead to the discovery of certain biomarkers that would help scientists detect which equids are more likely to be