Best practice guidelines for the control of equine tapeworm advise a test-based approach
Due to the risk of wormer resistance, best practice guidelines recommend testing to help determine which horses need worming. Antibody tests, such as the EquiSal Tapeworm saliva test, provide essential information for making worm control treatment decisions. EquiSal Tapeworm accurately measures antibody levels that correspond to tapeworm burdens. This scientifically validated test reliably indicates the presence of a burden and whether treatment is necessary.
Background to the EquiSal Tapeworm test
The patented EquiSal Tapeworm test is an innovative, easy-to-use saliva test for detecting equine tapeworm infection. Created by family-run Austin Davis Biologics, the EquiSal testing service diagnoses tapeworm burdens and advises on worming treatment.
Between 2012 and 2013, an expert research team, including a co-inventor of the Clear Blue pregnancy test, devised and thoroughly validated the EquiSal Tapeworm test (Lightbody et al., 2016. Vet Clin Pathol. 45:335-346. (Please click HERE for the full paper)). This groundwork led to the launch of the EquiSal diagnostic service in April 2014.
Unlike an invasive blood test, EquiSal uses saliva that owners collect from their horse using a special swab. The sample is mailed to the laboratory in preservative solution, ensuring stability for at least 3 weeks. The test detects tapeworm-specific antibodies using a triple ELISA system that accounts for inherent variation within saliva samples. Each sample undergoes analysis under strictly controlled conditions to accommodate variations in saliva flow and dietary influences. An automated liquid handling system manages the samples, guaranteeing high precision and reliable sample tracking during testing.
Data from the three ELISA formats is analysed in an algorithm to generate a Saliva Score which provides a diagnosis, identifying horses with low burdens, borderline results or moderate/high burdens. Anti-tapeworm treatment is recommended for horses that report with a borderline or moderate/high score. An average moderate/high saliva score is approximately 16, but very high scores can reach into the hundreds.
EquiSal Tapeworm test accuracy
The test was validated by assessing tapeworm specific antibodies in saliva taken from horses where tapeworms present had been counted at post-mortem (Lightbody et al., 2016). In scientific terms, the test has high sensitivity and specificity, which is important for correctly identifying horses with tapeworm burdens. In these studies, the test accurately identified most horses that had one or more tapeworms. The small number of horses diagnosed as negative by the test had burdens considered non-pathogenic by experts (i.e., burdens comprising less than 20 tapeworms). Importantly, horses with burdens exceeding 20 tapeworms were all correctly identified as positive by the test.
The results showed that the EquiSal Tapeworm test:
· correctly identified the majority of horses with a moderate to high burden
· correctly identified all horses with burdens deemed potentially pathogenic/harmful.
As the validation studies have been published in a peer-reviewed journal (Lightbody et al., 2016) this demonstrates that subject specialists have thoroughly reviewed our research, confirming its scientific quality, reliability of results and our adherence to accepted research standards. Data comparison between tapeworm blood test and the EquiSal results also revealed a strong positive correlation and both tests demonstrated equivalent accuracy in diagnosing tapeworm burdens.
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Subsequent peer-reviewed studies published by our team have shown the benefits of using EquiSal to guide worming treatments, offering substantial proof of the decrease in anthelmintic usage achievable by using this test in horses.
The EquiSal Tapeworm Test
The complete EquiSal kit
ELISA testing
Tapeworms awaiting processing!
The Laboratory Testing Process
Upon arrival at the laboratory, each saliva sample's unique barcode label is scanned into the database along with the horse's name. This process enables Austin Davis Biologics' scientists to monitor the samples throughout the testing procedure and provides information such as the purchase location of the kit and the destination for the results. After scanning, the team remove and dispose of the swabs, leaving behind samples that vary widely in color, from clear to dark green or brown, occasionally containing grass or food particles.
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The samples are then placed into an automated robotic liquid handling system, which performs dilutions, additions, and transfers each sample into pre-prepared ELISA test plates. Each sample undergoes duplicate testing in three different ELISA tests to determine the final result. This thorough method ensures high test accuracy and that variables like saliva flow rate do not influence the outcomes.
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Next, the test plates are treated with various solutions, one of which induces a blue color change. The reaction is stopped with a final solution that changes the colour from blue to yellow, and the intensity of this yellow colour is quantified. The data, associated with each sample's barcode, is then gathered and analysed.
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Finally, the results undergo a quality assurance check and are confirmed by two experienced scientists before being sent via email to veterinary surgeons, SQPs or horse owners.
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To see a video of the EquiSal Tapeworm test in action please click this link.​
ELISA plate
Tapeworm molecules
Horse antibody specific to tapeworm molecules
Antibody that detects horse antibody that binds tapeworm molecules
Enzyme that causes colour change in added substrate
Substrate: level of colour change is measured
The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is widely used for detecting antibodies in biological samples. When assessing worm-specific antibodies, the ELISA uses worm antigens to bind antibodies in the sample. Bound antibodies are identified using enzyme conjugated secondary antibodies. The level of enzymatic activity correlates with the concentration of worm-specific antibody, allowing quantitative analysis.
Customer Feedback
Sophie Lawson, BSc (Hons) Equine Science,
Supplement Specialist & E-SQP
Supplement Solutions
"EquiSal have always been very easy to place orders online, with our orders being received quickly and efficiently. Customer service is always on point as well! Any questions either from ourselves or customers are answered promptly and professionally. We have noticed that EquiSal sales have definitely picked up with ourselves over recent months yet the customer experience has never wavered even with the increased demand. The educational tools provided by EquiSal are also very helpful and a great resource to use when adding further information to our website listing or to refer customers to when needed. A great company to work with and hopefully we continue this partnership into the future!"
Sophie Nichol, FdSc REVN,
Deputy Head Nurse,
Head of Dispensary,
B&W Equine Hospital
"We have been using Austin Davis for our tapeworm kits for a number of years. The kits come with clear, user-friendly instructions and the swab is easy to use. The disc changes colour from white to pink to indicate to our customers that the sample is suitable for testing. We don't have any issues reported by our customers, and the samples are turned around very quickly, meaning we can give our customers an efficient service when reporting results".
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Jeremy Kemp-Symonds MRCVS
Veterinary Advisor
Bransby Horses
“EquiSal has become integral to our targeted tapeworm control programme and has contributed to the very significant decline in tapeworm infection that we have achieved in recent years.”
