Abstract
BackgroundFluralaner is a new antiparasitic drug that was recently introduced as BravectoTM chewable tablets for the treatment of tick and flea infestations in dogs. Most marketed tick products exert their effect via topical application and contact exposure to the parasite. In contrast, BravectoTM delivers its acaricidal activity through systemic exposure. Tick exposure to fluralaner occurs after attachment to orally treated dogs, which induces a tick-killing effect within 12 h. The fast onset of killing lasts over the entire treatment interval (12 weeks) and suggests that only marginal uptake by ticks is required to induce efficacy. Three laboratory studies were conducted to quantify the extent of uptake by comparison of ticks’ weight and coxal index obtained from BravectoTM-treated and negative-control dogs.MethodsThree studies were conducted using experimental tick infestation with either Ixodes ricinus or Ixodes scapularis after oral administration of fluralaner to dogs. All studies included a treated (BravectoTM chewable tablets, MSD Animal Health) and a negative control group. Each study had a similar design for assessing vitality and weighing of ticks collected from dogs of both groups. Additionally, in one study the coxal index (I. ricinus) was calculated as a ratio of tick’s ventral coxal gap and dorsal width of scutum. Tick weight data and coxal indices from BravectoTM-treated and negative-control groups were compared via statistical analysis.ResultsTicks collected from BravectoTM-treated dogs weighed significantly less (p ≤ 0.0108) than ticks collected from negative-control dogs, and their coxal index was also significantly lower (p < 0.0001). The difference in tick weights was demonstrated irrespective of the tick species investigated (I. ricinus, I. scapularis). At some assessments the mean tick weights of BravectoTM-treated dogs were significantly lower than those of unfed pre-infestation (baseline) ticks. The demonstrated tick-killing efficacy was in the range of 94.6 – 100 %.ConclusionsTick weights and coxal indices confirm that a minimal uptake results in a sufficient exposure of ticks to fluralaner (BravectoTM) and consequently in a potent acaricidal effect.
Highlights
Fluralaner is a new antiparasitic drug that was recently introduced as BravectoTM chewable tablets for the treatment of tick and flea infestations in dogs
N/A Not applicable because no ticks were found on dogs aArithmetic mean, minimum (Min) and maximum (Max) tick weight b, c, dLess than three ticks per dog were present at tick collection
The mean tick weights of Study 1 and Study 2 are presented in Table 1 (I. ricinus) and Table 2 (I. scapularis), respectively
Summary
Fluralaner is a new antiparasitic drug that was recently introduced as BravectoTM chewable tablets for the treatment of tick and flea infestations in dogs. An alternative for tick control in dogs that provides a different mechanism of exposure is the systemic treatment of ticks and fleas delivered through a chewable tablet (BravectoTM, MSD Animal Health [3]; NexGardTM, Merial [4]). This option of tick control exerts its effect when ticks attach to the host and are exposed to a drug from the isoxazoline chemical class (e.g. fluralaner [3, 5]; afoxolaner [4]) that was absorbed in the host’s gut and distributed through the blood circulation. Fluralaner offers ease of administration, due to its high success rate of being taken voluntarily when offered as a chewable tablet to dogs [10]
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