Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How Effitix spot-on stops mosquitoes biting dogs
By Franc, Michel et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2015·INP Ecole Nationale Vé, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of fipronil combined with permethrin commercial spot on (Effitix) preventing Culex pipiens from feeding on dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of twelve dogs was tested to see if a spot-on treatment called Effitix, which combines fipronil and permethrin, could prevent mosquitoes from biting them. The dogs were exposed to mosquitoes multiple times over four weeks, and the treatment showed a very high effectiveness in stopping mosquitoes from feeding, with nearly 100% success in the first week. The treatment also killed a significant number of mosquitoes, although the effectiveness decreased over time. This suggests that Effitix is a good option for protecting dogs from mosquito bites and could help prevent diseases like heartworm.
People also search for: dog mosquito prevention · Effitix for dogs · fipronil permethrin spot-on effectiveness
Abstract
A controlled clinical trial was carried out to assess the adulticidal and anti-feeding effectiveness of a spot-on combining fipronil and permethrin (Effitix, Virbac, Carros, France) in preventing Culex pipiens from feeding on dogs. Twelve dogs with equal sensitivity to mosquitoes were included in the study and divided into two groups of six dogs: an untreated control group and a group treated with Effitix. All dogs were challenged with 80 females C. pipiens for 90 ± 5 min on days -7, 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 (day 0 being treatment day). The number of engorged, dead, and live mosquitoes was determined after each exposure to treated and untreated dogs. Dead mosquitoes were also counted 24 h after exposure. The anti-feeding effect of the spot-on formulation was 100, 99.5, 97.7, 98.3, and 96.7% on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28, respectively. The mortality effect was 66.6, 55.9, 38, 17.2, and 12.3% on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28, respectively. At each challenge point, the mortality and anti-feeding effects on mosquitoes were significantly different between the control and treated group (p < 0.05). The results indicate that a combination of permethrin and fipronil could be used as an effective mosquito control strategy in dogs and is therefore recommended for use in a dirofilariasis prevention program.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25739921/