Laboratory evaluation of the speed of kill of lotilaner (Credelio™) against Ixodes ricinus ticks on dogs

• Published in: Parasites & vectors Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 541
• Main Authors: Murphy, Martin, Cavalleri, Daniela, Seewald, Wolfgang, Drake, Jason, Nanchen, Steve
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 01.11.2017; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acaricides - administration & dosage; Acaricides - therapeutic use; Administration, Oral; Animals; Arachnids; Control; Credelio; Dermacentor reticulatus; Dog Diseases - drug therapy; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dogs; Female; Females; Insecticides; Ixodes - drug effects; Ixodes ricinus; Laboratories; Lotilaner; Male; Males; Parasitic diseases; Pathogens; Rhipicephalus sanguineus; Testing; Tick Infestations - parasitology; Tick Infestations - veterinary; Ticks; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Ixodes ricinus; Credelio; Lotilaner; Ticks
• ISSN: 1756-3305; 1756-3305
• DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2467-z

With the geographical expansion of tick species and increased recognition of pathogens they transmit, there is a requirement for safe and rapidly effective control measures for dogs. Lotilaner, a novel isoxazoline, is rapidly absorbed following administration of a flavored chewable tablet formulation (Credelio™), providing at least 98% efficacy for at least 1 month following assessments at 48 h post-treatment, and following subsequent challenges. A study was conducted to determine the speed with which lotilaner kills ticks. From 38 dogs, the 32 with the highest Ixodes ricinus counts from a Day -4 infestation were randomized among four groups: two groups were untreated controls, two received lotilaner tablets at a minimum dose rate of 20 mg/kg. Infestations with I. ricinus were performed on Days -2, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. Counts were completed 4 and 8 h post-treatment (Day 0), and 8 and 12 h following subsequent infestations. All live ticks were incubated for 24 h following removal from study dogs. At 4 h post-treatment, there was a 69.8% reduction in geometric mean live tick counts in treated dogs compared to controls. After incubation, the reduction increased to 97.2%. At 8 h after treatment, pre- and post-incubation reductions were 99.2 and 100%, respectively. Following post-treatment challenges, post-incubation efficacy through Day 28 at 8 and 12 h was at least 94.3 and 98.0%, respectively, and was 85.7 and 94.2% at 8 and 12 h after the Day 35 challenge. Mean live tick counts in the lotilaner groups were significantly lower than in the control groups at all assessments through Day 35 at 8 (t  ≥ 9, P < 0.0001, Days 0 to 28; t  = 3.54, P ≤ 0.0095, Day 35) and 12 h post-treatment and after subsequent infestations (t  ≥ 10, P < 0.0001, all days). There were no treatment-related adverse events. Lotilaner at a minimum dose rate of 20 mg/kg began to kill ticks on dogs within 4 h of treatment and efficacy was 100% within 8 h. Lotilaner sustained a rapid kill of newly infesting I. ricinus through 35 days. By quickly killing ticks that infest dogs, lotilaner has potential to help limit the transmission of tick-borne pathogens.