Environmental Factors and Infection of Horses With Gastrointestinal Helminths in the Gorny Altai

The aim of the study is to conduct a comparative assessment of the infestation of horses with intestinal helminths in various administrative districts and to characterize the patterns of the relationship between abiotic and anthropogenic environmental factors and the rates of infestation of horses with intestinal helminths in the Gorny Altai. Based on long-term (2019–2023) ovoscopic examinations of 1.2 thousand horses from 10 districts of the region, the infestation of animals with helminths of the gastrointestinal tract was characterized. Correlation analysis was used to characterize the relationship between the level of infestation of animals with helminths, the number of parasites with abiotic and anthropogenic environmental factors in the context of farms and districts of the Gorny Altai. Horses are mostly infected with helminths in the Chemalsky District, where the prevalence of infestation is 95.8 %, and the infection intensity is 458.3 eggs per gram of feces. The lowest prevalence of helminths in animals was recorded in the Ust-Kansky District – EI 56.3 %, with IIs – 186.7 specimens. g/f. The prevalence of infestation in animals is significantly lower in areas characterized by low temperatures and precipitation, and significantly higher in warmer and more humid areas of the region. The prevalence of infestation in horses is 84.6 %, with IIs – 337.5 specimens. g/f. The most significant factors influencing the infection of animals with intestinal helminths (EI, % and IIs) in farms are the long-term average annual precipitation (r = 0.42 and 0.52) and the degree of anthropogenic pressure (r = –0.55 and –0.63), in the context of regions, long-term average annual temperatures (r = 0.55 and 0.65) and long-term average precipitation (r = 0.69 and 0.65).