Prevalencia de habronemosis cutánea en equinos de la provincia del Guayas.

Abstract

This research was conducted to determine the prevalence of cutaneous habronemiasis in horses from the province of Guayas. A field study was carried out between October and December, covering a total sample of 368 horses. Within this group, nine horses were identified with ulcerative wounds, totaling 14 ulcers. Each of these lesions was subjected to a scraping biopsy to evaluate the potential presence of cutaneous habronemiasis. The results showed that none of the samples presented parasitemia or findings compatible with cutaneous habronemiasis, determining a prevalence of 0.00 % in the studied population. Consequently, histopathological analysis was deemed unnecessary. These findings suggest that cutaneous habronemiasis does not represent a significant health issue for horses in the region during the evaluated period. It is concluded that the absence of this pathology in the analyzed sample provides valuable data on the epidemiological status of horses in the province, although these results may be influenced by ongoing droughts in the country.