Effect of oral afoxolaner on naturally occurring infestations of peacocks by the louse Goniodes pavonis

Abstract

Background -Ectoparasitism of ornamental birds, including captive species kept in zoos, represents a serious health problem. Up to 13 different species of lice have been reported to affect peacocks worldwide and heavy infestation may cause anaemia. Because of this, alternatives to the prevailing treatments have been sought including use of isoxazolines. This class of drugs has been used successfully in poultry without adverse effects on health or production.Objective -To evaluate the effect of afoxolaner on the peacock louse (Goniodes pavonis).Animals -Twenty-three peacocks (Pavo cristatus) with naturally occurring infestation with G. pavonis.Methods and materials -The peacocks were divided in two groups; one was treated once orally with 2.5 mg/kg afoxolaner and the other group received no treatment. Samples were collected using the acetate tape technique, for identification of lice by microscopy. Concomitantly, blood samples were taken to evaluate the haematocrit before and after the intervention.Results -Treatment with afoxolaner significantly decreased the number of peacocks positive for lice (P = 0.02) compared to the control group, in which the number of positive birds did not decrease. The haematocrit improved in the afoxolaner-treated group from a baseline of 46.4%-54.7% at 35 days post-treatment, whereas it decreased in untreated birds (44.6%-40.7%). No adverse effects attributed to afoxolaner treatment were observed.Conclusions and clinical importance -Oral administration of afoxolaner is an effective treatment for G. pavonis infestation of peacocks. AnimalsGoniodes pavonis lice were collected from 23 peacocks, which were transferred to the Parasitology and Microbiology laboratory of the

Effectiveness of lotilaner against ticks of the genus Amblyomma spp. in three naturally infested cane toads (Rhinella horribilis)

“…4 The isoxazolines also have been used successfully against several ectoparasites of exotic animal species. [5][6][7] The present study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the effectiveness of lotilaner against ticks of the genus Amblyomma spp. in cane toads.…”

Efficacy of a topical formulation containing esafoxolaner, eprinomectin and praziquantel (NexGard Combo®) against natural infestations with the cat louse, Felicola subrostratus under field conditions

“…Similarly, a recent study demonstrated the efficacy of afoxolaner against T. canis in dogs [12]. As previously shown [12], off-label afoxolaner was demonstrated to have a very high to maximum efficacy also against lice in birds [20,21]. Another isoxazoline, fluralaner presented an efficacy of 85.1% to 100% against Linognathus setosus in dogs with follow-ups done on days 1, 7, 28 and 84 [10].…”

Efficacy of afoxolaner (NexGard®) against natural infestations with Trichodectes canis in dogs under field conditions

“…The present study is the first to evaluate the efficacy of an isoxazoline, afoxolaner, against T. canis in dogs and the first to evaluate the efficacy of afoxolaner against mammalian lice. Afoxolaner has previously been evaluated in off-label clinical studies against the chewing louse Goniodes pavonis in captive aviary birds, where it demonstrated a 100% efficacy at 28 days post-treatment in various species of pheasants [ 33 ] and an 86.6% efficacy in peacocks [ 34 ]. Kohler-Aanesen et al [ 23 ] reported an efficacy of 85.1% on day 1, 96.8% on day 7 and 100% on days 28 and 84 for an oral formulation of fluralaner against the dog sucking louse Linognathus setosus .…”