Martin K. Nielsen

Martin Nielsen, equine parasitologist, veterinarian and assistant professor at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, has launched the first research crowdfunding project at UK and possibly the first such effort in the field of veterinary science.

LEXINGTON, Ky., (March 23, 2015) - A recent study led by Martin Nielsen, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center, found that all veterinary medicine textbooks have misidentified a common equine parasite.
The large equine roundworm Parascaris equorum, commonly referred to as the ascarid, which is known for infecting foals, is actually a different species-Parascaris univalens. The research suggests P. univalens is the main species now observed in equines. The broader designation Parascaris spp. should be used instead unless cytological characterization (a technique for characterizing chromosomes) has confirmed the species. "Parascaris univalens is really the forgotten parasite," Nielsen said. "It is almost never mentioned in the textbooks, and most people have only heard about one roundworm species infecting equids." univalens was discovered more than 130 years ago. The species only possesses one germ line chromosome pair as opposed to two for P. equorum, but the two species are otherwise considered structurally identical. "We really wanted to find specimens of both species to study and find differences in their DNA," Nielsen said. "We were part of another study analyzing numerous Parascaris specimens from several different continents, and the conclusion there was that only one species was found," Nielsen said. Contact: Martin Nielsen, 859-218-1103

Martin Nielsen, DVM, Ph.D., DEVPC DACVM
University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.