Abstract
BackgroundA topical combination of fipronil + permethrin (Frontline Tri-Act®/Frontect®, Merial) has recently been developed to control fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, sandflies and stable flies on dogs. Two studies were conducted to assess its speed of kill and knock-down effect on Ctenocephalides felis fleas. The combination was compared to either fipronil alone or to a combination of permethrin, dinotefuran, and pyriproxyfen,MethodsIn each study, 18 dogs were randomly allocated to one of three groups: (Group 1: untreated dog; Group 2: treated once on D0 with the combination of fipronil and permethrin; Group 3: treated once on D0 either with fipronil alone (study 1) or with a combination of permethrin, dinetofuran and pyriproxyfen (study 2)). Each dog was infested with 100 unfed adult C. felis fleas on Days 2 (study 2), 7, 14, 21 and 28. Fleas were collected from dogs at 1 h and 12 h post- infestations (PI) (study 1) or at 2 h and 6 h PI (study 2) to assess efficacy and from collection pans underneath cages 1 h (study 1) or 5 min (study 2) PI to assess knock-down effect.ResultsAll treated dogs had significantly (p ≤ 0.01) lower flea counts than untreated dogs at every time point in both studies. For a whole month, a significant knock-down effect against infesting fleas is obtained in five minutes PI with the combination of permethrin and fipronil. Complete efficacy (>95 %) was achieved in 1 h (study 1) or 2 h (study 2) PI for 14 days and by 6 h PI for all challenges conducted throughout the month. Efficacy remains >85 % at 2 h PI for the whole month. A significantly higher efficacy of the fipronil + permethrin combination compared to other treatments was demonstrated at the earliest time points for the month (1 h knock-down effect and insecticidal efficacy compared to fipronil alone; 5 min knock-down effect compared to the combination of permethrin + dinetofuran + pyriproxyfen).ConclusionsThe rapid flea knock-down effect and speed of kill demonstrated by the spot on combination of fipronil + permethrin provide a reliable strategy against flea infestations in dogs.
Highlights
A topical combination of fipronil + permethrin (Frontline Tri-Act®/Frontect®, Merial) has recently been developed to control fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, sandflies and stable flies on dogs
Besides being the most common ectoparasites of pets worldwide [1], Ctenocephalides sp. flea burdens in dogs may lead to the development of hypersensitivity to flea bites and related allergic dermatitis (FAD) resulting in one of the most common forms of allergic of dermatitis in dogs [2, 3] and the risk for transmission of vectorborne pathogens such as Rickettsia spp., Bartonella sp. [4,5,6]
Study 1 Speed of kill The arithmetic mean live flea counts recorded for the control group ranged from 47.2 to 85.5 over the one month assessment period indicating an adequate flea challenge at all assessment days and time points
Summary
A topical combination of fipronil + permethrin (Frontline Tri-Act®/Frontect®, Merial) has recently been developed to control fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, sandflies and stable flies on dogs. Two studies were conducted to assess its speed of kill and knock-down effect on Ctenocephalides felis fleas. Fleas were collected from dogs at 1 h and 12 h post- infestations (PI) (study 1) or at 2 h and 6 h PI (study 2) to assess efficacy and from collection pans underneath cages 1 h (study 1) or 5 min (study 2) PI to assess knock-down effect. A spot-on formulation of fipronil and permethrin (Frontline Tri-Act®/Frontect®) has recently been developed for use as a monthly topical solution for the control of fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, sandflies and biting flies in dogs. Initial efficacy studies demonstrated pulicidal activity for a full month [10], the evaluations in these studies were based on 24 h counts following classic efficacy guidelines required to support registration of flea control products [11, 12]
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