Efficacy of a novel topical combination of fipronil, (S)-methoprene, eprinomectin and praziquantel against feline urinary bladder worm (Capillaria plica) infection

Abstract

Infection with urinary capillarid bladder worms has been observed in cats worldwide. Although considered as generally causing no or little harm, infection with urinary capillarids may be associated with clinical disease which requires an appropriate treatment including the use of anthelmintics. Therefore, the efficacy of a novel topical combination formulation of fipronil 8.3% (w/v), (S)-methoprene 10% (w/v), eprinomectin 0.4% (w/v), and praziquantel 8.3% (w/v) (BROADLINE(®), Merial) was evaluated against urinary capillarids in naturally infected cats. Sixteen European Short Hair cats (5 male, 11 female) with capillarid eggs in their urine pre-treatment were included in the study. At the time of treatment, the cats were approximately ten months to eight years old and weighed 1.6-3.6 kg. Cats were ranked based on decreasing bodyweight and then randomly allocated within replicates of two animals to one of the treatment groups. Each cat in the treated group received one topical application of the combination product at the minimum therapeutic dose of 0.12 mL/kg body weight delivering 10mg fipronil+12 mg (S)-methoprene+0.5mg eprinomectin+10mg praziquantel per kilogram of body weight while the cats allocated to the control group remained untreated. For parasite recovery, identification and count, cats were euthanized humanely 14 days after treatment. All untreated cats harboured Capillaria plica in their urinary bladders (range 4-12), while no capillarids were recovered from the eight treated cats. Thus, the efficacy of the novel topical combination against C. plica was 100%. All cats accepted the treatment well based on post-treatment observations and daily observations thereafter. No adverse events or other health problems were observed during the study.

Efficacy of Broadline® against Capillaria aerophila lungworm infection in cats

“…As Broadline®, a topical combination product containing fipronil, (S)-methoprene, eprinomectin and praziquantel, was demonstrated to be efficacious against urinary capillariasis (Knaus et al 2014c) and treatment resulted in >99 % reduction of faecal capillarid egg counts in a field setting (Rehbein et al 2014), the controlled study reported here was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of this product against infections of C. aerophila in cats.…”

Diagnosis and therapy of Capillaria plica infection: report and literature review

“…Pearsonema plica) (Eckert et al 2005) belongs to the Capillariidae family (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). It occurs worldwide in carnivores, mostly in wild animals (foxes, wolves) (Knaus et al 2014;Krone et al 2008). This infection is rarely reported in domestic carnivores.…”

Urinary capillariosis in dogs

“…Considering that female parasites only periodically excrete eggs, it is not always possible to set a diagnosis this way, despite the presence of infection (Kirkpatrick and Nelson, 1987). Since egg excretion varies and the sensitivity of the urine sediment examination is low, more than one urine sediment examination is recommended (Knaus et al, 2014). Definite diagnosis is set through endoscopy, or more often via detection of eggs in the urine sediment (Basso et al, 2014).…”

“…Basso et al (2014) stated that treatment with fenbendazole and ivermectin caused short-term improvement, while levamizole, metabolites of which are excreted by the urine in 94% of cases, was more effective (Studzińska et al, 2015). Knaus et al (2014) studied the treatment effectiveness of a drug combination: fipronil 8.3% (w/v), methoprene 10% (w/v), eprinomectin 0.4% (w/v) and praziquantel 8.3% (w/v) for treatment of cat urinary capillariosis (Studzińskaet al, 2015). The study involved sixteen shorthaired European cats (5 male, 11 female) in which urine C. plica eggs were diagnosed before treatment (Knaus et al, 2014).…”

“…Knaus et al (2014) studied the treatment effectiveness of a drug combination: fipronil 8.3% (w/v), methoprene 10% (w/v), eprinomectin 0.4% (w/v) and praziquantel 8.3% (w/v) for treatment of cat urinary capillariosis (Studzińskaet al, 2015). The study involved sixteen shorthaired European cats (5 male, 11 female) in which urine C. plica eggs were diagnosed before treatment (Knaus et al, 2014). Every cat in the treated group received the combined treatment (10 mg fipronil + 12 mg methoprene + 0.5 mg eprinomectrin + 10 mg praziquantel per kilogram of body weight), in a minimal therapeutic dose of 0.12 ml/kg of body weight.…”