Abstract
BackgroundDermacentor reticulatus is a European hard tick of major veterinary importance because it is the vector of canine babesiosis due to Babesia canis. The efficacy against this particular tick species is therefore a key characteristic for an acaricidal solution for dogs. The repellency, prevention of attachment and acaricidal efficacy of Frontline Tri- Act®/Frontect®, a new combination of fipronil and permethrin against induced infestations of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks on dogs were evaluated after a single topical administration.MethodsA group of 20 dogs were allocated to two treatment groups. Ten dogs were treated with a topical spot-on formulation containing 6.76% w/v fipronil + 50.48% w/v permethrin once on Day 0 and 10 dogs served as untreated controls. Tick infestations were performed by placing 50 D. reticulatus ticks next to sedated dogs confined to infestation crates on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Thumb counts on dogs were conducted at 4, 12 and 24 h post-challenge. Tick removal counts were performed 48 h after each infestation. Repellency, prevention of attachment and acaricidal efficacy were calculated.ResultsThe new combination provided repellency ranging between (56.5–73.5%) at 4 h post-infestation (pi), between (76.3–92.9%) at 12 h pi and between (83.9–96.5%) at 24 h pi, up to 4 weeks post-treatment. Prevention of attachment ranged between (64.1–79.7%) at 4 h pi, between (79.1–94.2%) at 12 h pi and between (84.2–99.6%) at 24 h pi, up to 4 weeks post-treatment. Acaricidal efficacy against D. reticulatus ticks was ≥99.5% for 4 weeks post-treatment.ConclusionThe new combination of fipronil and permethrin demonstrated excellent repellency, prevention of attachment and acaricidal efficacy against D. reticulatus for at least 4 weeks. The results suggest that in endemic areas of canine babesiosis, the application of the new combination can significantly reduce the potential for transmission of B. canis as well as other tick-borne diseases.
Highlights
Dermacentor reticulatus is a European hard tick of major veterinary importance because it is the vector of canine babesiosis due to Babesia canis
Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Babesia which can cause severe clinical illness [4,5,6]
The total number of ticks that were collected in situ in crates ranged from 7 to 22 in the control group and from 178 to 294 in the treated group, representing from 1 to 4%, and from 36 to 59% out the 500 ticks used for infestation in each group, respectively (Table 1)
Summary
Dermacentor reticulatus is a European hard tick of major veterinary importance because it is the vector of canine babesiosis due to Babesia canis. The efficacy against this particular tick species is a key characteristic for an acaricidal solution for dogs. Larvae and nymphs infest micro-mammals and are endophilic, living in their hosts burrows, whereas adults are exophilic with a tropism primarily for dogs and at a lower extent to ungulates such as horses, sheep and cattle This tick is adapted to temperate climate with a strong preference for open areas with a high humidity level, especially riverbanks, paths sides, parkland and wasteland [3]. The geographic distribution of babesiosis has expanded from western and central Europe toward northern Europe, probably due both to changes in the climate which has increased tick survival and due to an increase in companion animal travels [4,5,6]
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