Topical treatment for common cat parasites in Greece works well

Abstract

Feline parasitism affects animals' health and welfare. Faeces from 472 client-owned cats from Greece were examined to provide updated data on the epizootiology of metazoan endo- and ectoparasites (namely, <i>Toxocara cati</i>, Ancylostomatidae, <i>Dipylidium caninum</i>, lungworms, <i>Toxascaris leonina</i>, <i>Otodectes cynotis</i>, fleas, ticks and <i>Notoedres cati</i>). All positive animals received a topical formulation containing esafoxolaner, eprinomectin and praziquantel (NexGard^® Combo, Boehringer Ingelheim), and its efficacy was evaluated. The overall prevalence of parasitism was 22.9%, while that of multiparasitism was 16.3%. <i>Toxocara cati</i> (18.4%) was the most prevalent endoparasite, followed by Ancylostomatidae (10.8%), <i>D. caninum</i> (4.7%), lungworms (2.5%) and <i>T. leonina</i> (0.4%). Regarding ectoparasites, <i>O. cynotis</i> (3.2%), fleas (2.3%), ticks (0.6%) and <i>N. cati</i> (0.4%) were found. To estimate the efficacy of treatment, the geometric means of the number of parasitic elements before the first treatment and post-treatment, (i) 14 days for intestinal helminths, (ii) 28 and 56 days for lungworms and (iii) 28 days for <i>O. cynotis</i> and fleas, were estimated and compared. Following statistical analyses (paired <i>t</i>-test and McNemar's test), an efficacy of 100% was recorded against the most commonly detected parasites (gastrointestinal helminths and mites) and a notable statistically significant effect against fleas and lungworms after one dose, while 100% efficacy against lungworms was achieved after two doses of the product. No adverse effects were reported. The prevalence of parasitism in owned cats in Greece remains high, highlighting the demand for targeted preventive antiparasitic schemes. This study demonstrated high-level efficacy and tolerance of NexGard^® Combo against common endoparasites and ectoparasites of household cats in Greece.