The Effects of a Pour-on Formulation of Fluazuron 2.5 % and Flumethrin 1 % on Populations of Rhipicephalus decoloratus and Rhipicephalus microplus Both on and off Bovine (Bonsmara Breed) Hosts

Abstract

The present study demonstrated the efficacy of a pour-on formulation of fluazuron 2.5 % and flumethrin 1 % (Drastic Deadline eXtreme®) against Rhipicephalus decoloratus and Rhipicephalus microplus on cattle on pasture previously grazed by experimentally infested animals. Six tick-free cattle were placed on the pasture and treated 7 days later (Day 0) with the pour-on. They were retreated on Days 63, 126 and 189 and monthly tick counts were done. Mean numbers of adult R. decoloratus and/or R. microplus decreased from 53 and 14 on Days 56 and 112 respectively to 2 or less on all other occasions including Day 254. Compared to the numbers of R. decoloratus and/or R. microplus larvae collected from vegetation in the previous year, larval numbers declined by 40.7 % on Day 28, and thereafter reduction remained between 84 % and 100 %. Pairs of tracer calves placed on the pasture for 7 days each month were then held in pens and adult ticks that detached collected. Reduction in the numbers of R. decoloratus collected from tracer animals was 75 % on Day 56 and remained above 93 % except for Day 224 when it temporarily decreased to 78.5 %. Reduction in the numbers of R. microplus was 97.5 % on Day 28 and remained above 98 % until the conclusion of the study on Day 254. Treatment with the pour-on formulation of fluazuron and flumethrin resulted in a marked decrease in the numbers of R. decoloratus and/or R. microplus on treated cattle followed by a reduction in the numbers of larvae questing on the vegetation and ticks picked up by tracer calves. No other potential host species for R. decoloratus and/or R. microplus were present in the camps.

Benzoylphenyl ureas as veterinary antiparasitics. An overview and outlook with emphasis on efficacy, usage and resistance

“…After expiry of patent protection, several companies have introduced their own fluazuron brands, containing either 2.5% fluazuron as the original pour-on brand, or various mixtures (e.g. with abamectin, cypermethrin, fipronil, flumethrin, ivermectin), for some of which efficacy studies have been published [40, 50, 51, 59, 110, 123, 189, 202]. An Internet search (October 2018) for commercial products containing fluazuron yielded 27 different brands in Australia, Latin America and South Africa from more than a dozen different companies, including most multinationals (e.g.…”

Acaricide resistance in livestock ticks infesting cattle in Africa: Current status and potential mitigation strategies

“…Additional delivery systems developed more recently include acaricide-impregnated ear-tags, intraruminal boluses, pour-on formulations and pheromone/acaricide-impregnated tail-tags. Although all of these methods show a degree of efficacy in trials, none has been widely adopted for routine application in Africa ( Soll et al., 1990 ; Norval et al., 1996 ; Fourie et al., 2013 ; Kelley et al., 2014 ). The intraruminal bolus strategy that extends the duration of control relative to that from a single treatment was shown to deliver acaricide for 90 days with very efficient control of multiple tick species on calves in South Africa ( Soll et al., 1990 ).…”