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has anyone any thoughts on the saliva test v a blood test for tapeworm? I've read the very informative and interesting thread on here from Sept 2014 but I wasn't sure if anything had moved on since then 
'The original [tapeworm] blood test was validated against 72 horses at post mortem. EquiSal test has been validated against 104 horses at post mortem. The key piece of information is that more than enough horses were used in the validation to ensure the results obtained are statistically significant and accurate.'
What do you mean by 'moved on' exactly? This is a great test, well validated and developed by good scientists who are also horse people. Use with confidence, I do with mine.![]()
No problem
Congratulations on your new horse. He will be ready for a worm count now, bearing in mind that Equest Pramox is probably a better choice for worming a new horse, providing his condition is good. This would cover all stages of redworm, plus tapeworm, whereas Equimax covers most stages of redworm plus tapeworm. So hopefully he had a good programme before you got him and you will be covering encysted worms in the winter.
Worm count soon, and be guided by the result. Test for tapeworm in another 2-4 months time. I hope that helps.
By way of introduction, I am a director and scientist at Austin Davis Biologics where we spent the last 4 years developing and testing the tapeworm saliva test.
The paper being referred to above has been accepted for publication by peer review in a veterinary journal subject to some minor changes. This demonstrates the quality of science and analysis of results, and is in line with all studies of this type. Frustratingly, the publication has been delayed as we need to wait for our patent filing to complete. The paper has been read by several leading parasitologists who have responded with good feedback, leading to further research opportunities with the Royal Veterinary College in one instance.
A growing number of vets stock the tapeworm kits for their clients - too many to list here but these vets include Rossdales Equine Hospital in Newmarket, Three Counties Equine Hospital and other equine clinics around the country. In addition, one of Holland's leading veterinary parasitologists now markets the test in The Netherlands and many of the vets in Denmark also stock the kits.
In terms of how research has moved on – the veterinary consultant of Bransby Horses Rescue and Welfare carried out a small independent comparison of saliva testing verses current blood testing with great results. Statistical comparison of the two tests, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, showed strong positive correlation. Bransby Horses have since changed to using saliva testing and now endorse our test.
We have recently completed a pilot trial where we monitored horses every two weeks following worming for tapeworm. This provided good insight into salivary antibody response following worming as well as the tapeworm life cycle and paddock management.
Please feel free to request information – our contact details are on the EquiSal website - we welcome any enquiries.![]()