Abstract
Dogs are the reservoir host of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania infantum (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Both subclinically‐infected and sick animals can be infectious to competent phlebotomine vectors. The degree and duration of insecticidal efficacy of an oral dose of fluralaner (Bravecto®; Merck Animal Health) was determined in dogs exposed to bites of Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae), a main Mediterranean vector of VL. Twelve dogs allocated to two groups of six animals each were included in a parallel‐group designed, negative‐controlled, randomized, blinded, single‐centre efficacy study. Group 2 was treated with fluralaner on day 0, and sand‐fly exposure of both groups was performed on days 1, 28 and 84. Viability of blood‐fed females was assessed up to 96 h after exposure and efficacy was measured as the survival rate of specimens fed on Group 2 versus those fed on Group 1. A mortality of 100% was recorded at 24 h in females fed on Group 2 at both days 1 and 28. Significant insecticidal efficacy was still observed on day 84, with > 50% mortality recorded by 48 h post blood meal in Group 2. Fluralaner treatment of dogs represents a promising and affordable method for reducing the pool of infected vectors in endemic settings of zoonotic VL.
Highlights
Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a protozoan infection/disease caused by Leishmania infantum highly prevalent in all countries of the Mediterranean, Caucasian and Middle Eastern regions of the Old World, as well as in several Latin American territories (Dantas-Torres et al, 2012)
The parasite can occasionally be transmitted by non-vectorial modes (EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare, 2015), the main transmission route is by the bite of infected phlebotomine sand flies
P. perniciosus is a representative member of a larger taxonomic group, the Larroussius subgenus, consisting of morphologically, genetically and biologically close-related species acting as competent vectors of L. infantum in central and eastern Mediterranean, such as Phlebotomus neglectus and Phlebotomus tobbi (Alten et al, 2016)
Summary
Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a protozoan infection/disease caused by Leishmania infantum (synonyms: Leishmania chagasi; Leishmania infantum chagasi) highly prevalent in all countries of the Mediterranean, Caucasian and Middle Eastern regions of the Old World, as well as in several Latin American territories (Dantas-Torres et al, 2012). A clinical trial of fluralaner treatment of dogs against sand flies made use of colonized P. papatasi as the target species (Gomez et al, 2018b).
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