%0 Journal Article
%T The Onset of Ciliate Populations in Newborn Foals
%A Egan, Catherine Elizabeth
%A McEwan, Neil R.
%A Snelling, Tim
%J Acta Protozoologica
%V 2010
%N Volume 49, Issue 2
%P 145-147
%K Ciliates, equine digestive tract, colonisation
%@ 0065-1583
%D 2010
%U https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/acta-protozoologica/article/the-onset-of-ciliate-populations-in-newborn-foals
%X The time of onset of survival of ciliate protozoa in the equine hindgut in new born foals was investigated. Daily faecal samples were collected from 6 new-born foals and studied under a microscope for examples of ciliates within the samples. The results of this study show that ciliates are first seen in faecal samples from the foal on day 5 post partum although these appeared to be voided and were assumed to be non-viable. However, by the following day the ciliates collected seen in the faecal samples appeared to be intact and were assumed to be viable. This observation is 5 days earlier than ciliates have previously been observed in faeces collected from the digestive tract of newborn foals.