Veterinary Record: first published as 10.1136/vr.147.25.709 on 16 December 2000. Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.
com/ on December 8, 2019 at Univ Of West Ontario GSTR101749364
Veterinary Record (2000)
147, 709-713
P. Dobson, BVetMed,
MRCVS, Novartis Animal
Health UK, Whittlesford,
Cambridge CB2 4QT
0. Tinembart, PhD,
DipIChem,
R. D. Fisch, PhD, DiplMath,
Novartis Animal Health
Inc, 4001 Basel,
Switzerland
P. Junquera, PhD, DiplBiol,
Veterinary Parasitology
Consulting and Services
Vetparcs GmbH, 8044
Zurich, Switzerland
PAPERS & ARTICLES
Efficacy of nitenpyram as a systemic flea
adulticide in dogs and cats
P. DOBSON, 0. TINEMBART, R. D. FISCH, P. JUNQUERA
In a clinical trial involving 123 cats and 88 dogs, the efficacy of tablets containing nitenpyram against natural
flea infestations was investigated. The animals were selected from the routine cases of nine veterinary
clinics in the UK and 143 were treated with the tablets and 68 control animals were treated with placebo
tablets. Each animal was maintained in an individual cage. The time when the first fleas fell off each animal
was recorded between 30 minutes and five hours after treatment, and six hours after treatment the numbers
of live, moribund or dead fleas on each animal were determined, and the flea survival rate was calculated.
The drug's efficacy was assessed by comparing the mean survival rates of fleas on the treated and control
animals. Fleas started to fall from the animals 30 minutes after treatment and two hours after treatment
some fleas had detached from 81 per cent of the treated animals. After six hours the efficacy of the drug
reached 96-7 per cent on dogs and 95-2 per cent on cats, and 85-9 per cent of the fleas were found off the
treated animals, compared with 1-8 per cent in the controls. No adverse drug reactions were recorded during
the trial.
DURING the last two decades, the range of products available the animal was excluded from the trial. The flea infestation of
Serials Acquisitions Unit. Protected by copyright.
for flea control has greatly increased, especially through the each animal was confirmed by the 'thumb count' method
introduction of insect growth regulators for both systemic (Gregory and others 1995).
and topical use (Blagburn 1996, Franc and Cadiergues 1996,
1997) and of adulticides with long residual activity for topi- llreatment
cal application (MacDonald 1995, Gortel 1997, Rust and Treatment consisted of the oral administration of a placebo
Dryden 1997). Systemic flea adulticides for oral administra- or a nitenpyram-containing tablet by the investigator. The
tion (Fisher and others 1989, Dryden 1992) or for topical tablets were supplied by the manufacturer (Novartis Animal
application (Arther and Cox 1985, Everett and others 1986, Health) and were of three types: a cat tablet containing 11-4
Fisher and others 1993) have been available for several years. mg nitenpyram for cats weighing 1-0 to 11 0 kg, and two dog
Orally administered products have several advantages, for tablets, one containing 11 4 mg nitenpyram for dogs weigh-
example, they reduce the exposure of the pet owners and of ing 1-0 to 11-0 kg, and one containing 57 mg nitenpyram
the environment to insecticides, their efficacy is not influ- for dogs weighing 11 1 to 57-0 kg. The placebo tablets were
enced by external factors like rain, sunlight or animal behav- identical in appearance to their corresponding nitenpyram-
iour, and they make it easy to avoid over- or under-dosing, containing tablets.
incomplete coverage, or contamination of sensitive body The animals were allocated to the treated or the control
parts like the eyes. placebo-treated groups at random and blinded from each
Nitenpyram, a novel molecule belonging to the class of investigator. The tablets were supplied singly in individual
neonicotinoids (Tomlin 1997), has been identified as a potent envelopes labelled with the size of the tablet and the species
systemic flea adulticide in artificial feeding tests with cattle of animal and an individual case code. They were adminis-
blood (Wade and Georgi 1988, Tinembart and others 1999). tered by hand. Animals that either did not swallow the tablet
Like other neonicotinoids, nitenpyram binds to specific nico- or vomited during the six hours after treatment were excluded
tinic acetylcholine receptors (Tomizawa and others 1995, from the study. No other antiparasiticide was administered or
Yamamoto and others 1995), thereby interfering with normal applied to the animal during the treatment period. Other
nerve transmission in the insect and killing it. This paper therapies were allowed, providing that in the clinical judge-
describes an investigation of the efficacy of tablets containing ment of the investigators they did not interfere with the
nitenpyram for controlling natural flea infestations on cats observation for adverse reactions, and they were recorded.
and dogs.
Flea counting and clinical examination
after treatment
MATERIALS AND METHODS Immediately after treatment, each animal was placed in a flea-
collecting cage provided by the practices. The cages had a
Animals 1 cm grid placed above the floor which was covered with
A multicentre trial involving nine veterinary practices in the white sheeting to aid flea counting. Each animal was observed
UK was carried out during 1997. Dogs and cats being treated at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes after treatment and then at
at each practice were recruited into the trial by a veterinary hourly intervals until six hours after treatment. Any sign of
surgeon (investigator). adverse reactions and the time when fleas were first seen on
Cats or dogs of either sex and any breed, more than four the floor of the cage were recorded.
weeks old, weighing between 1 and 57 kg, and showing evi- A flea count of each animal was made by the investigator
dence of a flea infestation were considered for the study. or by a nominated and trained deputy exactly six hours after
Animals which were being treated with an ectoparasiticide, or treatment. The animal was thoroughly combed with a flea
were pregnant or lactating, were not admitted to the trial. The comb for at least five minutes (Zakson and others 1995). The
animals selected were given a full clinical examination (tem- entire surface of the animal was combed at least once. For
perature, auscultation of the thorax, palpation, examination each animal the numbers of live, moribund and dead fleas
of coat, brief examination of external orifices) before the drug found on the animal and on the white sheeting were recorded.
was administered. Any medical condition which could affect The fleas were considered to be alive when they moved freely
the clinical judgement of adverse reactions was identified and with no unusual activity or movement, to be moribund if they
The Veterinary Record, December 16, 2000 709
 Veterinary Record: first published as 10.1136/vr.147.25.709 on 16 December 2000. Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on December 8, 2019 at Univ Of West Ontario GSTR101749364
PAPERS & ARTICLES

mlkl-ljq~fI
Dogs
Crossbreed
g

Yorkshire terrier
Vir--

Number
34
9
S

Cats
S*.

Domestic shorthair
Domestic longhair
Number
100
10
<2-1

2.1-4
r
Other terriers 7 Persian 4
German shepherd 6 Domestic medium-hair 3 4-1-6
Cavalier King Charles Tonkinese 3
spaniel 5 Other breeds 3t
Other spaniels 4 6.1-8
Other breeds 23* - Cats
* Small dogs
*
Labrador retriever (2), Doberman (2), Irish setter (2), Dachshund 0) 8.1-10 * Large dogs
(2), Golden retriever (2), Shih tsu (2), Ihasa apso (1), Otter hound -0
(1), Chihuahua (1), Lurcher (1), Boxer (1), Airedale (1), Samoyed (1), 0)
Miniature poodle (1), Cairn (1), Bearded collie (1), Border collie (1) 10.1-11
t Maine coon (1), Somali (1), Silver tabby (1)
11.1-20
remained stationary, on their side, with slight movement of
the appendages, or to be dead if no movement was detected. 20-1-30
At least one flea from each animal was collected between two
layers of sticky tape for the identification of the species. After 30.1-40
counting, the fleas combed from the animals were disposed
of and the dogs and cats were returned to their owners. 40.1-57
One week after the treatment, each owner was contacted
to find out whether any apparently adverse reaction had been
U

Serials Acquisitions Unit. Protected by copyright.

observed. 0 10 20 30 40 50 FIG 1: Distribution of
Percentage animals by weight
Assessment of efficacy
For each animal, the efficacy of the drug was measured in
terms of the first time at which fleas had been seen on the Fleas started to detach from the treated animals 30 min-
floor of the cage and by their survival rate six hours after treat- utes after the administration of the tablet. The time course
ment. The survival rate was calculated from the formula of the detachment of fleas from the animals is shown in Fig
100 x [L/(D+M+L)], where L, M, and D are the number of 3. By one and two hours after treatment some fleas had
live, moribund or dead fleas, respectively, found on the ani- become detached from 43 per cent and 81 per cent of the
mal and in the cage. For the whole trial percentage efficacy treated animals, respectively, compared with 3 per cent and
was calculated from the formula 100 x (C-T)/C, where C is 9 per cent for the control animals. The Mann-Whitney test
the mean survival rate of fleas from the control animals, and comparing the times for first detachment of fleas from dogs
T is their survival rate on the treated animals. and cats was not significant, although the median time for the
A Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used to compare the treated cats was slightly lower (60 minutes) than for the dogs
times when fleas were first seen on the floor of the cages. (90 minutes).
Survival rates and efficacy were estimated by using a popu- Table 2 summarises the numbers of live, dead and mori-
lation model (Goodhart and others 1984) with the Dirichlet bund fleas collected from all the animals in the treated and
distribution for describing the variability of the multinomial control groups six hours after treatment. Only 2-0 per cent
distribution parameters in the population (Johnson and Kotz of the fleas collected from the treated animals were alive, com-
1969,1972). All the calculations were made by using the soft-
ware S-PLUS 3.3 (Anon 1993).
The trial was carried out in compliance with the guidelines * Cats
for Good Clinical Practice for the conduct of clinical trials for <7 months * Dogs
veterinary medicinal products prepared by the Working Party
on Efficacy of the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal
Products (European Commission 111/3767/92/Final). 7 to 12 months

RESULTS 2 to 5 years

A total of 211 animals were enrolled in the study, comprising

123 cats and 88 dogs; 83 cats and 60 dogs were treated with a m 6 to 10 years
nitenpyram tablet, the others with a placebo tablet. Table 1
summarises the distribution of breeds. Figs 1 and 2 show the
distribution of the animals by weight and by age. Of the cats, 11 to 15 years
51 per cent were male (of which 76 per cent were neutered)
and 49 per cent female (of which 77 per cent were neutered).
Of the dogs, 52 per cent were male (of which 20 per cent were 16 to 20 years
neutered) and 48 per cent female (of which 43 per cent were I
neutered). All the animals showed evidence of fleas when Unknown
examined before being treated and 17-9 per cent of the cats
and 35-2 per cent of the dogs showed signs of flea-related skin I
1
diseases. The determination of the species of the fleas showed
that 97-6 per cent were Ctenocephalides felis, 19 per cent 0 10 20
FIG 2: Distribution of
Ctenocep halides canis, and 0.5 per cent Archaeopsylla erinacei. Percentage animals by age

The Veterinary Record, December 16, 2000

710
 Veterinary Record: first published as 10.1136/vr.147.25.709 on 16 December 2000. Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on December 8, 2019 at Univ Of West Ontario GSTR101749364
PAPERS & ARTICLES

100
.[.IpIIIIJL4f11[eJmEeJU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4m:5.SL

80 Fleas found
Fleas found (%) on the cage
Group Total Mean* Live Dead Moribund tloor (%)
CD 60
cm
cu
-0-- Nitenpyram-treated animals Placebo
c
U) -*- Placebo-treated animals Cats (40) 525 13-1 97-5 1.9 0-6 2-7
2-a) Dogs (28) 634 22.6 98-9 1-1 0 1-1
0L 40 All (68) 1159 17-0 98-3 1-4 0-3 1-8
Nitenpyram
Cats (83) 3197 38-5 2-2 73-2 24-6 83-8
Dogs (60) 1755 29-3 1-8 80-1 18.2 89-6
20 All (143) 4952 34-6 2-0 75-6 22-4 85-9
*
Mann-Whitney rank sum test for differences between the
FIG 3: Cumulative treatment groups indicates that the difference was significant for
percentages of animals 0 -I cats and for all animals together (P<0-001) but not significant for
from which fleas had 0 1 2 5 dogs (P=O- 124)
fallen to the bottom of
the cage after treatment Hours after treatment
reached about 75 per cent of the total flea population
(Heckenberg and others 1994, Gregory and others 1995).
pared with 98-3 per cent for the control animals. In 76 per Unfortunately no such studies have been conducted on cats.
cent of the treated animals, all the fleas collected were found In the present study it was not possible to estimate the per-
on the floor of the cage. On average, 85-9 per cent of the fleas centage recovery of fleas by combing because the animals' nat-

Serials Acquisitions Unit. Protected by copyright.

from the treated animals were found on the floor of the cage,
in contrast with only 1-8 per cent for the control animals
(Table 2). The mean survival rates of the fleas six hours after
treatment were 4-6 per cent and 94-7 per cent for the treated
and control cats, respectively, 3-2 per cent and 97 per cent for
the treated and control dogs, and 4-0 per cent and 95-7 per
cent for the treated and untreated cats and dogs. The mean
percentage efficacy was 95-2 per cent on the cats, 96-7 per cent
on the dogs, and 95-8 per cent on the cats and dogs together.
The survival rates and efficacy estimated by population mod-
elling are shown in Table 3 and are very close to the empiri-
cal data. No effect was found in the population model for
variations in sex, coat or age of the animals.
No adverse reactions considered to be related to the treat-
ment were observed during the six hours observation period
or during the week after the treatment.
DISCUSSION
The mean number of fleas found on the treated dogs (29-3)
was slightly higher than on the untreated dogs (22-6) but the
difference was not statistically significant (Table 2). In con-
trast, the mean number of fleas found on the treated cats
(38-5) was significantly higher than on the untreated cats
(13-1) (Table 2). It is very unlikely that cats with small flea
burdens would have been allocated preferentially to the
placebo group. It is more likely that the recovery of fleas from
the cats by combing may have been less effective than from
the dogs, owing to the different characteristics of their coats,
or to other unknown reasons. In studies of the efficacy of
combing, the recovery of fleas from previously infested dogs
Mean survival rate (%)
Group Nitenpyram Placebo efficacy (%)
Cats 5-3 95-8
Dogs 2-1 98-4
All 4-1 96-9
a b, C 95 per cent confidence intervals: a 91-8-96-5; b 96-0-98-9;
c 94-1-97-1
ural flea populations were not known. In studies of the
efficacy of nitenpyram against artificial flea infestations, the
efficacy four to six hours after treatment was similar for cats
(99-2 to 99-6 per cent) and dogs (99-8 to 100 per cent) (0.
Tinembart, unpublished observations). In the present study
the efficacy of nitenpyram was also similar on cats and dogs,
suggesting that the lower recovery of fleas on cats by comb-
ing may have had only a small effect on its apparent efficacy.
Nitenpyram was effective and killed fleas on dogs and cats
rapidly. The first fleas were seen on the bottom of the cage as
early as 30 minutes after treatment, and two hours after treat-
ment, fleas had become detached from more than 81 per cent
of the treated animals. Six hours after treatment, when the
observations ceased, the mean efficacies for dogs and cats
were 96-7 per cent and 95-2 per cent, respectively, and in 83
per cent of the treated dogs and in 71-1 per cent of the treated
cats the efficacy was 100 per cent. In studies on artificially
infested cats, comparing the number of fleas on nitenpyram-
treated and untreated animals 24 hours after treatment, the
reduction of the number of fleas in nitenpyram-treated
animals reached 100 per cent (Blagburn and others 1999). In
the present study, an average of 22-4 per cent of the fleas
counted on the treated animals six hours after treatment were
moribund, but were assumed to be dead for the assessment of
efficacy. This assumption is justified because other studies on
cats with the same nitenpyram tablets have shown that mori-
bund fleas do not recover and are not capable of reinfesting
a host (Dobson 1999).
Very few studies on other systcmic flea adulticides have
investigated their speed in controlling fleas. In a small clini-
cal study on naturally infested dogs and cats, the efficacy of
the organophosphorus compound, cythioate, administered
as tablets containing 30 mg of the active ingredient was inves-
tigated (Fisher and others 1989). Administered at a dose rate
of 3 mg/kg bodyweight to dogs and 1-5 mg/kg bodyweight to
cats, its efficacy eight hours after treatment was 95-4 per cent
for dogs and 94-5 per cent for cats. However, none of the dogs
and only 50 per cent of the cats were free of fleas, and the
Mean majority of the surviving fleas were still alive 14-5 hours after
having been combed off the animals. Applied topically as a
spot-on, the organophosphate, fenthion, has been described
94.5a as having systemic activity against fleas (Anon 1985). The effi-
97.8b
95-8c cacy of a fenthion spot-on formulation applied topically at
15-2 mg/kg bodyweight was investigated in a study on artifi-
cially infested dogs (Fisher and others 1994). The drug's effi-
cacy was measured eight hours after treatment, but the

The Veterinary Record, December 16, 2000 711


PAPERS & ARTICLES
difference in the number of fleas between the treated and
untreated dogs was not statistically significant. One day after
treatment, the number of fleas in the treated dogs had dimin-
ished by about 99 per cent. In a similar study on artificially
infested cats treated with a fenthion spot-on formulation at
approximately 6-2 mg/kg bodyweight, the number of fleas had
diminished by about 60 per cent eight hours after treatment
(Fisher and others 1993). In another study, using a 5 6 per
cent fenthion solution on artificially infested dogs, the effi-
cacy determined 24 hours after treatment was 91 1 per cent at
a dose of 8 mg/kg bodyweight, and 70-7 per cent at a dose of
4 mg/kg (Arther and Cox 1985).
Compared with these results, the results of this study indi-
cate that nitenpyram tablets control adult fleas much more
rapidly than other systemic products. The difference can be
explained by the fact that nitenpyram is very soluble in water
and has an exceptionally high bioavailability when adminis-
tered orally to dogs and cats. Blood concentrations effective
for flea control are reached within 10 to 20 minutes after
administration (Maurer and others 1999, Tinembart and
others 1999).
In the present study, 85-9 per cent of the fleas were found
off the host six hours after treatment. Similar results have
been observed in other in vivo trials with nitenpyram, in
which six hours after treatment more that 90 per cent of the
affected fleas were found off the host (Dobson 1999). Their
rapid detachment indicates that the engorged fleas lose their
ability to remain attached to the host's fur. This is rather
unusual for a flea treatment and may be due to the excitation
of the affected fleas. Such an excitation, in the form of trem-
bling of the legs and pumping movements, has been described
in fleas treated with other neonicotinoids (Mehlhorn and oth-
ers 1999) and in other insects (Tomizawa and others 1995).
References
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Medicine 80 (Suppl), 18-21
ANON (1993) S-PLUS User's Manual: version 3.3. Seattle, Statistical Science.
ARTHER, R. G. & COX, D. D. (1985) Evaluating the efficacy of fenthion for
control of fleas on dogs. Veterinary Medicine 80, 28-31
BLAGBURN, B. L. (1996) Advances in ectoparasite control: insect growth reg-
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BLAGBURN, B. L., VAUGHAN, J. M., BUTLER, J. M. & SCHENKER, R. (1999)
Efficacy of nitenpyram flavored tablets for rapid removal of adult cat fleas,
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CADIERGUES, M. C., STEFFAN, J., TINEMBART, 0. & FRANC, M. (1999)
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DOBSON, P. (1999) Solving flea problems in minutes. A completely new
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DRYDEN, M. W. (1992) Differential activity of cythioate against female and
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EVERETT, R. E., CUNNINGHAM, J. R., COX, D. D. & ARTHER, R. G. (1986)
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FISHER, M. A., HUTCHINSON, M. J., JACOBS, D. E. & DICK, I. G. C. (1993)
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FISHER, M. A., HUTCHINSON, M. J., JACOBS, D. E. & DICK, I. G. C. (1994)
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712
Veterinary Record: first published as 10.1136/vr.147.25.709 on 16 December 2000. Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on December 8, 2019 at Univ Of West Ontario GSTR101749364
This speed of action makes nitenpyram particularly suitable
when immediate relief from fleas is required. For the same
reason, nitenpyram can also be used as a diagnostic tool for
the detection of fleas and for a quick estimation of the levels
of infestation on individual animals when traditional
mechanical counting methods are not appropriate.
Neonicotinoids show no cross-resistance to and have a dif-
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organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids and phenylpyr-
azoles (fipronil) (Yamamoto 1996). Thus, nitenpyram is also
suitable in cases in which resistance to other flea adulticides
is suspected. Several investigations have also shown that it is
suitable for use in combination with the systemic insect
growth regulator lufenuron (Cadiergues and others 1999,
Dryden and others 1999). Such a combination should also be
useful for delaying the potential development of resistance.
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and fish (Tomlin 1997). Like other neonicotinoids it is highly
selective for insect nicotinic receptors and has a much lower
affinity for mammalian receptors. Thus, it is unlikely to pose
any undue risk to human beings, dogs and cats or to the envi-
ronment when it is used according to the instructions. In
studies of adult cats treated with 56 mg/kg daily for seven days
and seven-week-old puppies treated with 62-5 mg/kg daily for
14 days, or animals dosed repeatedly with five tablets daily for
Serials Acquisitions Unit. Protected by copyright.
six months, no adverse drug reactions were observed (0.
Tinembart, unpublished observations).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank all the veterinarians and the staff
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PAPERS & ARTICLES

irritation in cats and dogs treated with nitenpyram. 17th International
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Veterinary Parasitology 60, 149-153

Farm and slaughter survey of bovine

tuberculosis in captive deer in Switzerland
D. Wyss, M. GIACOMETTI, J. NICOLET, A. BURNENS, G. E. PFYFFER, L. AUDIGE

Serials Acquisitions Unit. Protected by copyright.

In 1998, a survey was conducted by postal questionnaire to gather basic knowledge about the management,
health and productivity of captive deer in Switzerland. In addition, lymph nodes were collected from
slaughtered deer from 124 of the 262 holdings surveyed, and tested for Mycobacterium bovis and
Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The total farmed deer population was 8389 animals kept on 485 holdings;
87 per cent were fallow deer, 8 per cent red deer, 4 per cent sika deer, and there were small numbers of
other species. The median herd sizes were 12 for fallow deer and eight for red deer. Few owners had
handling facilities or crushes. In none of the lymph nodes examined were lesions typical of bovine
tuberculosis observed, and neither M bovis nor M tuberculosis was cultivated from any of the samples.

BOVINE tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis occurs
worldwide and is recognised as a major problem in farmed
Veterinary Record (2000) deer (Clifton-Hadley and Wilesmith 1991). The zoonotic
147, 713-717 threat posed by this alternative livestock industry is a signifi-
cant public health risk (Van Tiem 1997). Outbreaks in farmed
D. Wyss, DVM, deer have been reported in many countries, including Ireland
L. Audigk, DVM, PhD, (Wilson 1976), the UK (Gunning 1985), the USA (Rhyan and
Institute of Virology and others 1995), Canada (Munroe and others 1999), Australia
Immunoprophylaxis, (Robinson and others 1989), and New Zealand (Lugton and
PO Box CH-3147 others 1997). Outbreaks associated with the importation of
Mittelhausern, infected deer have occurred in countries such as Sweden with
Switzerland a cattle population which is considered free of tuberculosis
M. Giacometti, DVM, (Bolske and others 1995). In deer, the lesions of tuberculosis
Wildvet-Projects, are predominantly suppurative rather than caseous, and min-
Ziegelreid 374, CH-3054 eralisation is less evident than in tuberculous lesions in cat-
Schupfen, Switzerland tle. Lesions are most commonly found in lymph nodes of the
J. Nicolet, DVM, head (especially in the medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes),
A. Burnens, MD, the lung, and the mesenterium (Mackintosh and Griffin 1994).
Institute for Veterinary The prevalence of macroscopic lesions in infected deer
Bacteriology, University of increases with age (Whiting and Tessaro 1994).
Berne, Langgassstrasse Since 1959, Switzerland has been free from bovine tuber-
122, CH-3012 Berne, culosis (R. Hauser, Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, personal
Switzerland communication) in terms of article 3.2.3.10 of the OIE
G. E. Pfyffer, PhD, Swiss International Zoo-sanitary Code in that more than 99-8 per
National Center for cent of all bovine herds are officially acknowledged as tuber-
Mycobacteria, culosis free. To maintain this status, surveillance programmes
Department of Medical at slaughter (Anon 1995a) and controls on imported livestock
Microbiology, University (Anon 1988) have been implemented. There is no evidence
of Zurich, Gloriastrasse that M bovis infection is present in deer in Switzerland, either
30/32, CH-8028 Zurich, in feral or in farmed animals (Riggenbach 1988). In deer, sur-
Switzerland veillance is based on the inspection of imported animals,
slaughter inspections and occasional postmortem examina-
Correspondence to tions. Imports of deer are allowed from tuberculosis-free
Dr Giacometti holdings which have been tuberculin tested. Import protocols
are defined for each exporting country after a qualitative
assessment. During a three-week period of quarantine, a
comparative intradermal tuberculin test has to be carried out
by a veterinarian, but the test is not yet standardised for deer.
Like cattle, slaughtered deer undergo veterinary inspection,
except when venison is kept for home consumption (Anon
1995a). However, there is a lack of confidence that bovine
tuberculosis in captive deer is not a significant threat to the
Swiss cattle population. Data are lacking to assess the risk of
deer being infected with M bovis, such as the characteristics
of deer herds, the deer trade, and slaughter practices.
According to a preliminary survey (Audige and others 1998),
479 deer holdings with 7500 deer were recorded in
Switzerland in 1997.
To assess the risk of the disease being present and spread
in the captive deer population in Switzerland, an investiga-
tion was conducted by questionnaire of all the registered deer
holdings in the country and lymph nodes were collected from
slaughtered deer from a representative selection of holdings
to identify infections with M bovis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Collection of census data
In collaboration with the Swiss cantonal veterinarians, a list
of all registered holdings of captive deer was made in 1997
(Audig6 and others 1998). Mail questionnaires in French and
German (Dillman 1983) were sent early in March 1998, to all
deer owners registered on the list. Before it was sent out, the
questionnaire had been shown to selected deer owners for
comments; it included questions about the reasons for keep-
ing deer, the species of deer kept, the herd size, encounters
between deer and domestic ruminants, fertility, health, trade

The Veterinary Record, December 16, 2000 713