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      Treatment of Neotrombicula species infestation in cats using a 10% (w/v) fipronil topical spot-on formulation: a pilot study

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          Abstract

          Objectives

          Few data are available concerning therapeutic aspects of feline trombiculiasis. This study evaluated the efficacy of a 10% w/v fipronil-based spot-on solution in 15 cats with natural Neotrombicula species infestation.

          Methods

          Ten cats received 1 drop per affected site on day (D)0 and D14, with the rest of the 0.5 ml pipette applied on the skin between the shoulders. Five cats served as non-treated controls. Parasite score (0 = absent; 3 = severe, >10 parasites/zone) was assessed on D0, D14 and D28 on all animals. Skin lesions (SCORing Feline Allergic Dermatitis lesion severity scale [SCORFAD]) and investigator pruritus scale (IPS; 0 = cat comfortable, grooming like any normal cat; 4 = cat uncomfortable, pruritic all the time) were assessed on treated cats on the same days. Global assessment of efficacy, tolerance and ease of use (GAS; 1 = very poor; 5 = excellent) was assessed on D28.

          Results

          All the cats completed the study. Parasite scores of the control cats were maintained throughout the trial (mean ± SD: D0 4 ± 0.7, D14 3.2 ± 1.1 and D28 3.2 ± 0.4). In treated cats, SCORFAD (D0 3.2 ± 5.4, D14 1.1 ± 2.1 [ P <0.002] and D28 0.5 ± 1.3 [ P <0.002]), parasite (D0 3.9 ± 1.3, D14 1.2 ± 0.8 [ P <0.005] and D28 0.4 ± 0.5 [ P <0.005]) and IPS (D0 1 ± 1.2, D14 0.5 ± 1.1 [ P <0.05] and D28 0.3 ± 0.7 [ P <0.05]) scores significantly decreased throughout the trial. On D28, the GAS was 4.2 ± 0.9. There were no adverse effects from treatment.

          Conclusions and relevance

          The 10% w/v fipronil preparation appeared to be effective, safe and practical in the treatment of localised Neotrombicula species infestation in these cats.

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          Most cited references10

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          Responsiveness and validity of the SCORFAD, an extent and severity scale for feline hypersensitivity dermatitis.

          Hypersensitivity (allergic) dermatitis (HD) is commonly seen in cats, causing pruritus and various patterns of skin lesions, including at least one of the following: head and neck excoriations, self-induced alopecia, eosinophilic plaques and miliary dermatitis. Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of therapeutic interventions for feline HD, and although various scales have been considered, none has been formally validated for the assessment of disease severity and its response to therapy.
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            Multiple environmental factor analysis in habitats of the harvest mite Neotrombicula autumnalis (Acari: Trombiculidae) suggests extraordinarily high euryoecious biology.

            The harvest mite Neotrombicula autumnalis (Trombiculidae) has become a great nuisance in various vegetated areas in Germany over the last 15 years. According to reports of dermatologists, this species appears to have propagated and spread significantly. Moreover, cases of severe trombidiosis or trombidiosis-like skin reactions have been noticed at unusually early times of the year. Due to the lack of scientific studies, little is known about the ecology of N. autumnalis and its distribution, and preferred habitats cannot be predicted. A four-year study was conducted to identify trombiculid foci in different areas of Bonn in order (1) to determine the timing of larvae appearance in different years, (2) to identify the factors that lead to high larvae abundances at the mite foci ('multiple factor analysis'), and (3) to develop an ecological control strategy. By means of the 'tile catch method' (TCM) which turned out to be most appropriate to collect data on the distribution and abundances of trombiculid mites, larvae of N. autumnalis were caught from mid July until the end of October/beginning of November. The distribution of the mites was patchy, supporting the hypothesis that certain factors cause a concentration in foci. Most of the mite foci had a fixed location for at least three years. Efforts to isolate nymphs and adults in larger quantities to gain knowledge about their preferred soil areas and soil depths failed. Only some nymphs of N. autumnalis could be found living 10-40 cm deep in the soil. Due to the restriction that the nymphs and adults can only rarely be isolated in the ground, the analysis of environmental factors was executed based on abundances of questing larvae on the soil surface. The detailed analysis of soil-physical, soil-chemical and meso-faunistic factors could not finally explain the unequal distribution of the mites, although the porosity of the soil had a statistically significant slight influence on the abundance of larvae, and soil pH bordered significance, also suggesting a slight influence. Furthermore, soil temperatures during the winter seasons in three subsequent years appeared too high to affect the harvest mite. The field experiments suggest that N. autumnalis and particularly its larval stages are extremely euryoecious (meaning tolerating very different environmental conditions). Further studies are necessary: additional investigations on the influence of certain abiotic environmental factors on N. autumnalis, the search for factors underlying the rhythmicity of its life cycle ('zeitgeber'), and the reasons and mechanisms for heterogeneous distribution of soil fauna in general. Ecological control of the mite is, in principle, possible but only after identifying the foci and ascertaining their approximate dimensions with the TCM. This control strategy is the most promising one, albeit very laborious, emphasising the need of further research on the ecology of the harvest mite.
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              Trombiculiasis: clinical contribution.

              Neotrombicula autumnalis is an arthropod usually living in the soil, except for the short period of the larval stage when it becomes a real parasite of warm-blooded hosts. We present a case of human trombiculiasis, which is unusual because of the parasite transmission from animals to humans, as in a typical synanthropic dermatosis.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                J Feline Med Surg
                J. Feline Med. Surg
                JFM
                spjfm
                Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
                SAGE Publications (Sage UK: London, England )
                1098-612X
                1532-2750
                19 June 2017
                June 2018
                : 20
                : 6
                : 587-590
                Affiliations
                [1 ]UDEAR, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, ENVT, Toulouse, France
                [2 ]Medical Department, Virbac SA, Carros, France
                [3 ]Dermatology Service, Small Animal Hospital, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, Toulouse, France
                Author notes
                [*]Marie C Cadiergues Dr Med Vet, DipECVD, PhD, UDEAR, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, ENVT, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076, Toulouse Cedex 3, France Email: mc.cadiergues@ 123456envt.fr
                Article
                10.1177_1098612X17715153
                10.1177/1098612X17715153
                5971366
                28627284
                af1d0a0e-f1c5-4d2f-95fe-229fd9d58779
                © The Author(s) 2017

                This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License ( http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ( https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

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                Surgery
                Surgery

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