Comparative speed of kill of oral treatments with SimparicaTM(sarolaner) and Bravecto®(fluralaner) against induced infestations of Rhipicephalus sanguineus on dogs SimparicaTM: Comparative Efficacy of sarolaner,a novel oral ectoparasiticide for dogs

Background: rhipicephalus sanguineus is the most widely distributed tick species infesting dogs worldwide,which may cause discomfort to the host and transmit diseases. acaricides with a rapid and sustained speed of kill are thus important to prevent infestation and to reduce the risk of disease transmission. in this study,the speed of kill of a monthly administered simparicatm(sarolaner) treatment against induced infestations with r. sanguineus on dogs was evaluated and compared with a single dose of bravecto®(fluralaner) for 95 days after the initial treatment. methods: twenty four dogs were randomly allocated to treatment and were treated with either placebo or sarolaner (at 2 to 4 mg/kg) on days 0,30 and 60 or with fluralaner (at 25 to 56 mg/kg) once on day 0. tick counts were performed in situ 8 and 12 h and with removal of the ticks 24 h after treatment and subsequent re-infestations on days 14,28,44,56,74,90 and 95. acaricidal efficacy was determined at each time point relative to the placebo group. results: both products significantly reduced live ticks within 8 h after treatment against an existing infestation with r. sanguineus,and killed all ticks on all dogs within 24 h. after re-infestation,sarolaner provided ≥98.5 % reduction within 24 h on all days except days 74 and 95 (p < 0.0001),compared to fluralaner which provided ≥95.5 % reduction until day 44. geometric mean live tick counts for sarolaner were significantly lower (p ≤ 0.0415) at 24 h than those for fluralaner on all days,except on days 0,14 and 28 (p ≥ 0.0678). there were no treatment-related adverse reactions observed during the study. conclusions: when dosed at monthly intervals for 3 consecutive months,simparicatm has a faster and more consistent speed of kill against r. sanguineus than a single oral dose of bravecto® for which efficacy decreased after day 44. © 2016 becskei et al.