Search Results (2)

Gastrointestinal parasitic diseases pose significant health risks to equine populations. This study investigated the epidemiological patterns of equine gastrointestinal parasites in Xinjiang by analyzing 83 fecal samples collected from Ili (n = 62) and Urumqi (n = 21) between August and November 2024. The modified McMaster technique was employed to quantify fecal egg counts (EPG) and was complemented by morphological identification to assess infection dynamics related to geography, breed specificity, and management practices. The results demonstrated an overall infection prevalence of 66.3% (55/83), with strongyles, Parascaris equorum, and Eimeria oocysts being present. Significant geographical variation was observed, with Ili exhibiting a higher prevalence (74.2%) compared to Urumqi (42.9%). Breed susceptibility analysis revealed that there was a 94.1% prevalence in Yili horses versus 42.9% in Kazakh horses. Pasture-managed herds showed markedly higher infection rates (94.1%) than stable-based systems (50.0%). Parasite community composition was dominated by strongyles (82.1%), followed by Triodontophorus spp. (27.7%) and P. equorum (2.4%). These findings highlight severe parasitic infection risks in Xinjiang’s grazing equids, underscoring the urgency of implementing targeted anthelmintic protocols to mitigate disease transmission. Full article

A growing demand for resources has led to the expansion of agricultural areas worldwide. However, land conversion associated with poor soil management might lead to soil physical degradation. We investigated the effects of land conversion on soil physical properties in the Brazilian Cerrado region, under native Cerrado vegetation (NV)—pasture (PA) and NV—cropland (CL) conversion scenarios. Soil physical properties related to compaction, pore size distribution, and structure stability were assessed up to a 30 cm depth. Additionally, carbon levels of soil organic matter fractions (particulate and mineral-associated organic matter) were determined. Our results indicate that the compaction process equivalently reduced the soil porosity in PA and CL. However, soil penetration resistance was higher in PA (~2.5 MPa) than in CL (~1.5 MPa), as well as the stable mean weight diameter of soil aggregates. The highest total and labile organic carbon levels were observed in CL, while the lowest levels of total and labile organic carbon occurred in PA (smaller than in CL). These results suggest that the higher structural stability found in PA was mediated by the predominance of stabilized carbon (a decrease in the proportion of soil labile carbon), causing the gaining of soil strength under negligible soil volume variation (in comparison with CL). Our results suggest that the reduction in the soil porosity by compaction due to PA and CL uses can equivalently reduce macropore space and soil hydraulic functioning, and that soil carbon quality alterations (i.e., labile vs. stabilized fractions) are responsible for the gain in soil strength in long-term degraded PA areas. Future research should focus on understanding the magnitude in which soil organic matter controls soil physical attributes, such as soil strength in these expansion areas, and whether this gain in soil strength limits plant development and compromises productivity in the long term. Full article