Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
physical approach or by treatment with
insecticides.
Use of a fl ea comb can be effective at
removing fl eas from the animal, although it
has no lasting effect and re-invasion may
start to occur immediately. If a pet is too
young or too sick to have insecticidal
preparations applied (Beck and Pfi ster,
2004), however, then it may be the only
appropriate technique.
The elimination of fl eas from an infested
animal is carried out by using adulticides
that have an immediate and lethal effect on
the adult fl ea. Such products are typically
applied either as a spot-on treatment, which
is applied to the skin under the parted fur at
the back of the neck, or a spray on the entire
surface of the animal's fur (Ko ˇišová and
Weissová, 2012). There are, however, other
dosing systems, such as shampoos and oral
tablets.
There is a very broad range of adulticidal
active ingredients available to kill fl eas on
the animal. Products may contain a single
active ingredient or a combination. The
adulticides used in such products include
neonicotinoids (e.g. imidacloprid, dinote-
furan), macrocylic lactones (e.g. selamectin),
pyrroles (e.g. fi pronil), spinosyns (e.g.
spinosad) or pyrethroids (e.g. deltamethrin,
permethrin). Some of these products have a
dual action, in that they not only control the
active fl ea infestation on the animal but also
offer longer-term protection against re-
infestation of the animal and recolonization
of the animal's habitat. Some products may
also offer control of other ectoparasites such
as mites and ticks, or even endoparasites.
Insect growth regulators (IGRs) used
singly are unsuitable for control of active
infestations on the animal because they do
not have a lethal effect on the adult fl ea.
Their role is in preventing the re-
establishment of infestation in premises.
It is advisable that all pet owners consult
their veterinarian before using fl ea control
products on their pet, because products can
vary widely in safety, method of action and
effectiveness. For example, some products
should not be used on puppies under a
certain age, on pregnant bitches or on
specifi c breeds. Other fl ea treatments are
not recommended for use in homes with
young children.
Treatment of animals must always be
carried out in compliance with the manu-
facturer's instructions, in particular with
regard to dosage, method of application,
follow-up treatments and restrictions of
use.
Preventing re-infestation of
the animal
Re-infestation of treated animals may occur
quickly. The source of re-infestation is often
the host's environment, which in most cases
contains a reservoir of immature fl ea stages.
In addition, the pet may have contact with
untreated pets from other households, or
with other hosts such as foxes, coyotes,
skunks, opossums, hedgehogs or rodents, or
with their nests or other micro-habitats in
which young adult fl eas are existing. When
the risk of re-infestation is high, such as
during the fl ea transmission season, the
treatment of an active infestation should be
followed by a comprehensive fl ea preven-
tion programme (Dryden and Rust, 1994).
This procedure is intended to avoid any
further fl ea reproduction in the likely event
of re-infestation of the animal.
A number of the active ingredients and
products that may be used to eliminate
existing infestation on the animal will also
offer long-lasting protection of the animal
against re-infestation. However, there are
several products containing IGRs only, such
as methoprene, pyriproxyfen or lufenuron,
which will not protect the pet against
recolonization by adult fl eas but will
prevent those fl eas from producing viable
offspring. These IGRs may directly interfere
with the production of fertile eggs by the
adult fl ea or prevent larvae from developing
successfully into adults. For these routine
preventative treatments, compliance with
the product label, especially the dosage and
treatment intervals, is essential.
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