Table 5.

Sensitivity of various faecal egg counting techniques used for equine faecal samples

Method used	Parameter definition	Spiked epg/worm burden	Parasite detected	Sensitivity (%)	Reference
Sedimentation	Eggs detected in % samples from infected animals	Not applicable	Anoplocephala perfoliata	22.5	Williamson et al. (1998)
Flotation 1				25.0
Flotation 2				37.5
Method A (McMaster)	Detection of eggs at different worm burden levels	<100	A. perfoliata	11.8	Meana et al. (1998)
		>100		0
Method B (Modified McMaster)		<100		35.3
		>100		57.1
Method C (Tube and coverslip)		<100		35.3
		>100		42.9
FECPAK	Percentages of various spiked epg levels detected	50 epg	Strongyles	100	Presland et al. (2005)
		100 epg		100
		200 epg		100
McMaster	Percentages of various spiked epg levels detected	50 epg		40
		100 epg		40
		200 epg		100
McMaster	Detection of eggs at different worm burden levels	5, 9, 11, 18, 23, 104, 156, 160, 162, 1700	A. perfoliata	No eggs detected at any level of worm burden	Fukumoto et al. (2011)
Modified Wisconsin (sodium nitrate)				Eggs detected at worm burdens of 23, 104, 156, 160 and 1700
Modified Wisconsin (zinc sulfate)				Eggs detected at worm burdens of 23, 104, 156, 160 and 1700
Modified Wisconsin (sucrose)				Eggs detected at worm burdens of 23, 104, 156, 160, 162 and 1700
Flotation	No. of total tapeworms	NA	A. perfoliata	16.7	Tomczuk et al. (2014)
	No. of tapeworms with gravid proglottids			20.7
Sedimentation	No. of total tapeworms			8.3
	No. of tapeworms with gravid proglottids			10.3
Modified sedimentation-flotation	No. of total tapeworms			58.3
	No. of tapeworms with gravid proglottids			72.4
McMaster	No. of total tapeworms			2.8
	No. of tapeworms with gravid proglottids			3.4
Combined zinc sulfate sedimentation-flotation	Percentages of various spiked epg levels detected for cyathostomins and A. perfoliata, respectively	1 epg	Cyathostomins & A. perfoliata	6.7 & 0	Becker et al. (2016)
		5 epg		46.7 & 26.7
		10 epg		86.7 & 35.3
		20 epg		86.7 & 60.0
		40 epg		100 & 80.0
		60 epg		100 & 86.7
		80 epg		100 & 100
McMaster		1 epg		0 & 0
		30 epg		13.3 & 13.3
		50 epg		60 & 26.7
		80 epg		60 & 60.0
		100 epg		80 & 80.0
		500 epg		100 & 100
		1000 epg		100 & 100
Mini-FLOTAC	Percentages of various spiked epg levels detected	10 epg	Strongyles	100	Bosco et al. (2018)
		50 epg		100
McMaster (chamber)		10 epg		41.7
		50 epg		100
McMaster (grid)		10 epg		25.0
		50 epg		75.0
Cornell–Wisconsin		10 epg		100
		50 epg		100
McMaster	Percentages of various spiked epg levels detected	0–200; 201–500; 501–1000; >1000 epg	Strongyles	99.40	Cain et al. (2020)
Wisconsin				99.40
Automated egg counting technique				98.00

Abbreviations: CV, coefficient of variation; epg, eggs per gram; NA, not assessed.