Abstract
BackgroundThroughout Japan, Korea and China, Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks are vectors of Babesia gibsoni, which causes severe and progressive anemia in dogs. This study evaluated the efficacy of a single administration of lotilaner flavored chewable tablets (CredelioTM) against experimental canine H. longicornis infestations.MethodsTwenty-two healthy Beagles were ranked in descending order of counts of H. longicornis completed 48 h after challenge on Day -7. The 16 dogs with the highest live tick counts were blocked into pairs and within pairs randomized to either lotilaner-treatment at a minimum dose rate of 20 mg/kg or sham-treated controls. Treatment was administered within 30 ± 5 min following feeding on Day 0. Infestations with 50 unfed adult H. longicornis were completed on Days -2, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. Elizabethan collars were placed for 48 (± 2) h after each infestation and a T-shirt was placed on each dog to facilitate attachment. Ticks were counted in situ 12 and 24 h post-treatment and counted and removed after an additional 24 h (48 h after treatment) and 48 h after each post-treatment infestation. Dogs were sedated for tick challenges and counts. Live attached ticks on each dog were counted for efficacy assessments. Lotilaner was considered effective if the average tick attachment rate in the control group was at least 20%, if there was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in mean tick counts between treated and control groups, and if the lotilaner-treated group had a calculated efficacy of at least 90%.ResultsAverage control group retention of the H. longicornis challenge exceeded 20% at each assessment. Lotilaner started killing H. longicornis ticks quickly, achieving 57.4% efficacy within 12 h. At 48 h post-treatment, and following each subsequent infestation, between-group differences in mean H. longicornis counts were significant (P < 0.0001). From 48 h post-treatment, through the final assessment on Day 37, lotilaner efficacy remained greater than 95%, including on Day 37 when efficacy was 98.4%.ConclusionLotilaner, administered to dogs orally at a minimum dose rate of 20 mg/kg is well tolerated, provides rapid reduction of existing H. longicornis tick infestations, and provides sustained residual protection for at least 35 days.
Highlights
Throughout Japan, Korea and China, Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks are vectors of Babesia gibsoni, which causes severe and progressive anemia in dogs
From each infesting dose of 50 H. longicornis, live attached tick counts in the control dogs ranged from 10 up to 24, with the average infestation remaining above 20% at each assessment, thereby meeting the requirement for adequate infestation and efficacy comparison of the treated group
Within 48 h post-treatment, three lotilaner-group dogs were free of live attached ticks, and the remaining five dogs in this group each had a single live attached tick, resulting in an efficacy of 97.2% (Table 1)
Summary
Throughout Japan, Korea and China, Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks are vectors of Babesia gibsoni, which causes severe and progressive anemia in dogs. The most recently approved isoxazoline, is presented in a flavored chewable tablet formulation (CredelioTM) and is indicated for the treatment of flea and tick infestations from dogs at the time of treatment and throughout the month following treatment. All life stages of this tick were recently identified for the first time on a heavily infested sheep in the USA with no international travel history [13] This tick is a vector of a range of pathogens that cause disease in mammals, and has been shown to transmit Babesia gibsoni to dogs, and to transmit agents of viral and rickettsial diseases to humans [12, 13]. A study was undertaken with the objective of evaluating the efficacy of a single administration to dogs of lotilaner flavored chewable tablets at a minimum dose rate of 20 mg/kg, the label dose rate, against experimental challenges with unfed adult H. longicornis ticks
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