BackgroundThe Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, causes paralysis predominantly in dogs and cats in the Eastern coastal regions of Australia. Rapid onset of effect of a parasiticide is critical to minimize the deleterious effects of these tick infestations, especially tick paralysis caused by the salivary neurotoxin. The speed of kill of a novel orally administered isoxazoline parasiticide, sarolaner chewable tablets (Simparica®), against I. holocyclus on dogs was evaluated and compared with afoxolaner (NexGard®) for 5 weeks after a single oral dose.MethodsTwenty-four (24) dogs were randomly allocated to treatment with either placebo, sarolaner (label dose of 2 to 4 mg/kg as per dosing table), or afoxolaner (label dose of 2.7 to 6.9 mg/kg) based on pre-treatment body weights. Following artificial infestation on Day -1, dogs were examined and live ticks counted at 8, 12, 24 and 48 h after treatment on Day 0, and at 12, 24 and 48 h after subsequent re-infestations on Days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. Efficacy was determined at each time point relative to counts for placebo dogs based on geometric means.ResultsAt 8 and 12 h time points on Day 0, sarolaner-treated dogs had significantly lower geometric mean tick counts compared to the dogs treated with afoxolaner (P ≤ 0.0303). Efficacy of sarolaner against an existing infestation was 86.2 and 96.9% compared with that of afoxolaner which had efficacy of 21.3 and 85.0% at 8 and 12 h time points, respectively. Against subsequent weekly re-infestations at 12 h time points, treatment with sarolaner resulted in significantly lower geometric mean tick counts than afoxolaner-treated dogs on all days (P ≤ 0.0077) with the efficacy ranging from 60.2 to 92.2%, compared to 5.8 to 61.0% in the afoxolaner-treated dogs. Against subsequent weekly re-infestations at the 24 h time points on Days 22 and 36, efficacy of sarolaner was significantly higher at 99.2 and 97.9%, respectively, compared with afoxolaner which had efficacy of 92.4 and 91.9% (P ≤ 0.0356). At the 48 h time points following each of the five weekly re-infestations, the mean efficacy results of sarolaner and afoxolaner treated dogs were similar on most occasions. There were no adverse reactions to treatments.ConclusionsIn this controlled laboratory evaluation, a single dose of sarolaner had a significantly faster speed of kill against an existing infestation of I. holocyclus, than afoxolaner at 8 and 12 h post-treatment. The rapid and consistent kill of ticks provided by sarolaner within 24 h after a single oral dose and following weekly re-infestations over 35 days suggests this treatment will provide highly effective, rapid and reliable control of ticks over the entire treatment interval, thereby minimizing the risk of tick paralysis in dogs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2024-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The efficacy of a single oral dose of a novel isoxazoline, sarolaner (Simparica™, Zoetis), for the treatment and control of flea infestations on dogs was confirmed in five laboratory studies. The studies were conducted using adult purpose-bred Beagles and/or mixed breed dogs. All animals were individually identified and housed, and were allocated randomly to treatment with either placebo or sarolaner (eight to 10 per group) based on pretreatment parasite counts. Three studies used cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis) strains recently isolated from the field from the US, EU, or Australia; in the fourth study a laboratory strain (KS1) with documented tolerance to a number of insecticides such as fipronil, imidacloprid, and permethrin was used. In the fifth study, dogs were infested with dog fleas, Ctenocephalides canis. Dogs were treated orally on Day 0 with a placebo or a sarolaner tablet providing a minimum dose of 2mg/kg. Dogs were infested with approximately 100 unfed, adult fleas prior to treatment and at weekly intervals post-treatment. Comb counts were conducted to determine the numbers of viable fleas at 24h after treatment and after each subsequent infestation. Efficacy against C. felis and C. canis was 99.8-100% from treatment through Day 35. In all five studies, elimination of existing infestations was achieved within 24h after dosing, with only a single live C. felis found on one dog on Day 1. Similarly, control of flea challenges was achieved within 24h after infestation throughout the 35day study periods, with only single live C. felis found on two dogs on Day 28 in one study, and on a single dog on Day 35 in another study. There were no adverse reactions to treatment with sarolaner. These studies confirmed that a single oral dose of sarolaner at 2mg/kg provided highly effective treatment of existing C. felis infestations and persistent control of C. felis on dogs for 35days after treatment. Efficacy equivalent to that seen with C. felis was confirmed against C. canis and a known insecticide-tolerant strain of C. felis.

BackgroundThe efficacy and safety of a novel isoxazoline compound, sarolaner (Simparica®, Zoetis) and spinosad (Comfortis®, Elanco) as a positive control were evaluated for the treatment and control of natural flea infestations on dogs in two randomised, blinded, multi-centric clinical trials conducted in 11 veterinary clinics in northeastern and southeastern states of Australia.MethodsA total of 162 client-owned dogs (80 in northern study and 82 in southern study) from 105 households were enrolled. Each household was randomly allocated to receive either sarolaner (Simparica®, Zoetis) or spinosad (Comfortis®, Elanco). Dogs were dosed on Days 0, 30 and 60 and physical examinations and flea counts were conducted on Days 0, 14, 30, 60 and 90. Efficacy assessments were based on the percentage reduction in live flea counts post-treatment compared to Day 0.ResultsIn the northern study, at enrolment, primary dogs had flea counts ranging from 5 to 772. At the first efficacy assessment on Day 14, sarolaner resulted in 99.3% mean reduction in live flea counts relative to Day 0, compared to 94.6% in the spinosad group. On Day 30, the sarolaner-treated group had mean efficacy of 99.2% compared to 95.7% in the spinosad-treated group, and on days 60 and 90, both groups had mean efficacies of ≥ 98.8%. In the southern study, at enrolment, primary dogs had flea counts ranging from 5 to 156. Both sarolaner and spinosad resulted in ≥ 96.7% mean reduction in live flea counts on Day 14. On Day 30, the sarolaner-treated group had mean efficacy of 99.5% compared to 89.7% in the spinosad-treated group, and on days 60 and 90, both groups had mean efficacies of ≥ 98.6%. No treatment-related adverse events were observed in either study.ConclusionsA single monthly dose of sarolaner (Simparica®) administered orally at 2–4 mg/kg for three consecutive months was well tolerated and provided excellent efficacy against natural infestations of fleas under a range of Australian field conditions including different climatic and housing conditions. Similar efficacy was observed with spinosad (Comfortis®) after the second and third monthly treatments.

The vaccines containing killed type 1c and type 1a BVD viruses significantly reduced fetal infection following challenge with a New Zealand type 1a BVD virus. Prevention of fetal infection by vaccination may not be 100%, and the risk of persistently infected calves being born to some vaccinated cattle should be acknowledged and managed as part of a BVD control programme.

Background: The Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, causes tick paralysis in dogs and cats in the eastern coastal regions of Australia. Prevention is the best option to protect dogs against this potentially fatal disease and sarolaner provides rapid and sustained efficacy against I. holocyclus. In this laboratory study, the efficacy of two combination endectocides containing sarolaner + moxidectin + pyrantel (Simparica Trio ™) and afoxolaner + milbemycin (NexGard Spectra ®) was evaluated against an artificial infestation of I. holocyclus. Methods: Twenty-four (n =24) foxhounds were randomly allocated to three treatment groups and artificially infested with 30 adult female viable ticks on Days − 1, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. On Day 0, dogs in each treatment group were treated with either Drontal ® (control group), Simparica Trio ™ at the label dose to provide minimum doses of sarolaner (1.2 mg/kg), moxidectin (24 µg/kg) and pyrantel (5 mg/kg) or NexGard Spectra ® to provide minimum doses of afoxolaner (2.5 mg/kg) and milbemycin (0.5 mg/kg). Live tick counts were performed at 48 and 72 hours after treatment and after each re-infestation on Days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. Efficacy was determined at each time point relative to counts for control dogs based on geometric means. Results: Against an existing infestation, efficacy of both Simparica Trio ™ and NexGard Spectra ® was 99.6% and 100% at 48 and 72 h time points, respectively (P = 1.000). Against subsequent weekly infestations, treatment with Simparica Trio ™ and NexGard Spectra ® resulted in efficacy of ≥ 97.7% and ≥ 95.5% (P ≥ 0.0911), respectively at the 48 h time point and at the 72 h time point, Simparica Trio ™ and NexGard Spectra ® resulted in efficacy of ≥ 99.0% and ≥ 98.4% (P ≥ 0.0511), respectively. There were no treatment-related adverse events in the study. Conclusions: Single doses of Simparica Trio ™ and NexGard Spectra ® were highly efficacious and provided comparable efficacy against the Australian paralysis tick, I. holocyclus for up to 35 days.