Efficacy of an imidacloprid/flumethrin collar against fleas, ticks and tick-borne pathogens in dogs

Filipe Dantas-Torres,Domenico Otranto,Giancarlo Di Paola,Rafael Antonio Nascimento Ramos,Cinzia Cantacessi,Edward Breitschwerdt,Dorothee Stanneck,Alessio Giannelli,Maria Stefania Latrofa,Viviana Domenica Tarallo,Riccardo Paolo Lia,Donato De Caprariis,Anna Sara De Tommasi,Gioia Capelli,Barbara Qurollo,Vita Lacasella

doi:10.1186/1756-3305-6-245

Abstract

BackgroundTick-borne diseases comprise a group of maladies that are of substantial medical and veterinary significance. A range of tick-borne pathogens, including diverse species of bacteria and protozoa, can infect both dogs and humans. Hence, the control of tick infestations is pivotal to decrease or prevent tick-borne pathogen transmission. Therefore, different commercial products with insecticidal, repellent or both properties have been developed for use on dogs. Recently, a collar containing a combination of imidacloprid 10% and flumethrin 4.5% has proven effective to prevent tick and flea infestations in dogs under field conditions and the infection by some vector-borne pathogens they transmit under laboratory-controlled conditions.MethodsFrom March 2011 to April 2012, a field study was conducted in a private shelter in southern Italy to assess the efficacy of the imidacloprid/flumethrin collar against tick and flea infestations and to determine if this strategy would decrease tick-borne pathogen transmission in young dogs. A total of 122 animals were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to group A (n = 64; collared) or group B (n = 58; untreated controls). Dogs were examined monthly for ticks and fleas and systematically tested for selected tick-borne pathogens.ResultsCompared to controls, the collar provided overall efficacies of 99.7% and 100% against tick and flea infestation, respectively. The overall efficacy for the prevention of tick-borne pathogens (i.e., Anaplasma platys and Babesia vogeli) was 91.6%.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that the imidacloprid/flumethrin collar is efficacious against flea and tick infestation as well as tick-borne pathogen transmission to dogs under field conditions.

Highlights

Tick-borne diseases comprise a group of maladies that are of substantial medical and veterinary significance
Two dogs were infected with Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotype III and one dog each was infected with Bartonella henselae and Bartonella rochalimae
Coinfections by two or more pathogens were documented in 16 dogs (13.1%), with seven dogs infected by A. platys and H. canis, two dogs with A. platys and B. vogeli and two dogs with A. platys and B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotype III

Summary

Introduction

Tick-borne diseases comprise a group of maladies that are of substantial medical and veterinary significance. A collar containing a combination of imidacloprid 10% and flumethrin 4.5% has proven effective to prevent tick and flea infestations in dogs under field conditions and the infection by some vector-borne pathogens they transmit under laboratory-controlled conditions. Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) comprise a group of illnesses caused by numerous pathogens (e.g., viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and helminths) that may be transmitted by a number of tick species [1] These diseases may range from subclinical to life-threatening conditions, with the severity of clinical signs depending on the microorganism(s) involved and the host immune. A collar containing 10% imidacloprid and 4.5% flumethrin (SerestoW, Bayer Animal Health, Germany) was developed for use on dogs and cats This product contains both repellent and insecticidal properties and has proven effective against fleas, ticks, mites and lice [11,12,13,14,15]. The imidacloprid/flumethrin collar was highly efficacious in curing animals living in communities highly infested with ticks and fleas and to prevent reinfestations for up to 8 months in a refuge with a history of unsuccessful environmental tick control [16]

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Conclusion