A series of aryl polyfluoro 1,3-diketones were examined for systemic ectoparasiticidal activity in cattle. The compounds demonstrated efficacy against several economically important species of insects and acarina. At dosages of 5 mg/kg X1 or 0.35 mg/kg per day intraruminally, activity was observed against blowfly larvae (Phormia regina), adult stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans), and lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). In vivo activity was not directly related to in vitro activity, showing a stronger dependence on perfluoroalkyl-chain length and aryl-group substitution.

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Assessment of seawater readiness of freshwater salmon smolts is a crucial husbandry step with economic implications in salmon aquaculture but current methods rely on delayed centralised enzymic activity measurement. The efficiency of a qRT-PCR assay for sodium potassium ATPase (NKA) α1a mRNA was tested in a 3-year study on 19 hatcheries across Scotland incorporating environmental factors such as temperature and metal contamination. The NKA qRT-PCR assay was transferred to a mobile laboratory and on-site testing was carried out at 3 hatchery sites. For the first two years standard enzymatic and gene expression assays had similar success rates in detecting smoltification (NKA activity 60%, qRT-PCR 57%). In the third year, all but one site were determined as sea water ready by qRT-PCR but only at 4 by enzymatic testing. On site testing with mobile qRT-PCR was successfully performed on four farm sites. Altogether, high sensitivity was shown for the in lab (98.9%, SE 0.24) and mobile (93.43%, SE 0.119) assays when tested using a quantitative RNA standard. Some indication for obscured smoltification assay results due to environmental increased heavy metal contamination was observed. Our results prove it is possible to test a smoltification marker on site and provide results on the day of testing during the smolt period allowing for informed decisions on seawater transfer.

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