Abstract
The adulticidal efficacy of a topical combination of emodepside 2.1 % (w/v) plus praziquantel 8.6 % (w/v) (Profender® spot-on for cats, Bayer) against adult Aelurostrongylus abstrusus nematodes was evaluated in two randomised, placebo-controlled laboratory efficacy studies. Each study involved 16 cats experimentally inoculated with L3 (800 and 600 each in studies no. 1 and 2, respectively) and randomised into two study groups of 8 cats each after onset of patency. While cats in the treatment group in study no. 1 received a single spot-on application at the minimum therapeutic dose (3 mg/kg emodepside and 12 mg/kg praziquantel), cats in study no. 2 were treated twice with an interval of 14 days. The faecal output of first stage larvae was monitored throughout the study. Necropsy was conducted 4 or 5 weeks after the (first) treatment and the worm counts were used for efficacy calculations. The control groups showed a geometric mean of the total worm count (live and dead worms) of 28.8 (study no. 1) and 17.6 (study no. 2), respectively. All control animals were infected. While the single treatment in study no. 1 resulted in a reduction of the total worm burden by 73.0 % (p = 0.0070), the treatment protocol in study no. 2 was 99.2 % effective (p = 0.0035). Based on live worm counts, the efficacy in study no. 2 was 100 % (p = 0.0030). It is concluded that two applications of Profender® spot-on given two weeks apart represent a safe and highly efficacious treatment regime against feline aelurostrongylosis.
Highlights
In the past few years, increased attention has been paid to nematode infections of the cardiopulmonary system of cats and dogs due to their spread in several geographic areas (Traversa et al 2010)
Faecal larval counts in the control group of both studies continuously increased towards necropsy
VICH Guidelines 7 and 20 require a reduction in worm burdens of at least 90 % in treated animals compared to a control group in order to claim efficacy of an anthelmintic substance
Summary
In the past few years, increased attention has been paid to nematode infections of the cardiopulmonary system of cats and dogs due to their spread in several geographic areas (Traversa et al 2010). Aelurostrongylus (A.) abstrusus is deemed to be the main agent causing verminous pneumonia Adults of this metastrongylid nematode inhabit the alveolar ducts and lung parenchyma of domestic cats and wild felids. 9 of 10 cats showed a negative faecal larval count after two treatments given 23 days apart (Iannino et al 2013). Traversa et al (2009a) evaluated the efficacy of a single application of imidacloprid/moxidectin spot-on in a positive controlled field efficacy study. While the faeces of all 12 imidacloprid/moxidectin-treated cats were free of A. abstrusus L1 four weeks after treatment, one cat in the control group that had been treated with 50 mg/kg fenbendazole for three consecutive days still showed a positive faecal L1 count. After a single treatment 32 days post inoculation (dpi), faecal larval counts were reduced by 99.6 % compared to a negative control group (Knaus et al 2014)
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