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A single oral dose of fluralaner (Bravecto®) in dogs rapidly kills 100% of blood‐fed Phlebotomus perniciosus , a main visceral leishmaniasis vector, for at least 1 month after treatment
Author(s) -
Bongiorno G.,
Meyer L.,
Evans A.,
Lekouch N.,
Bianchi R.,
Khoury C.,
Chiummo R.,
Thomas E.,
Gradoni L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12420
Subject(s) - leishmania infantum , biology , visceral leishmaniasis , psychodidae , blood meal , veterinary medicine , kinetoplastida , vector (molecular biology) , leishmaniasis , immunology , protozoal disease , medicine , zoology , malaria , biochemistry , gene , recombinant dna
Dogs are the reservoir host of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania infantum (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Both subclinically‐infected and sick animals can be infectious to competent phlebotomine vectors. The degree and duration of insecticidal efficacy of an oral dose of fluralaner (Bravecto®; Merck Animal Health) was determined in dogs exposed to bites of Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae), a main Mediterranean vector of VL. Twelve dogs allocated to two groups of six animals each were included in a parallel‐group designed, negative‐controlled, randomized, blinded, single‐centre efficacy study. Group 2 was treated with fluralaner on day 0, and sand‐fly exposure of both groups was performed on days 1, 28 and 84. Viability of blood‐fed females was assessed up to 96 h after exposure and efficacy was measured as the survival rate of specimens fed on Group 2 versus those fed on Group 1. A mortality of 100% was recorded at 24 h in females fed on Group 2 at both days 1 and 28. Significant insecticidal efficacy was still observed on day 84, with > 50% mortality recorded by 48 h post blood meal in Group 2. Fluralaner treatment of dogs represents a promising and affordable method for reducing the pool of infected vectors in endemic settings of zoonotic VL.