Mapping the Intestinal Microbiome of Parascsrids spp.: A Pilot Study

Parascaris spp. is the most pathogenic parasite affecting juvenile horses, causing severe clinical illness and even death when left unmanaged. Emergence of anthelmintic resistance in Parascaris spp. found in horses worldwide is an ever-growing concern for those that own horses as pets as well as people involved in horses as a business. While no new anthelmintic products are in development for Parascaris spp., research in other nematode parasite specie indicates potential for exploitation of bacteria within the parasite for control methods. The intestinal microbiomes of equine-specific gastrointestinal parasites, including Parascaris spp., remain unstudied. The purpose of this study is to characterize the intestinal microbiome of Parascaris spp. and compare it to the microbiome of their environment, the jejunum of juvenile horses. Content samples from the jejunum and eighteen adult Parascaris spp. will be collected from thirteen foals. Intestinal content from the parasites will be collected and pooled, and then DNA for 16S sequencing will be extracted from the samples. Finally, a DNA library will be created and put through Illumina MiSeq sequencing and metagenomic analysis to obtain abundance and taxa information on the bacteria. Abundances, taxa, and compositions will then be compared to look for similarities and differences between the intestinal microbiomes of Parascaris spp. and its equine host.