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. 2017 Nov 9;10(Suppl 2):478.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2432-x.

Efficacy of 10% imidacloprid + 2.5% moxidectin topical solution (Advantage Multi® for Dogs) for the prevention of heartworm disease and infection all month long

Dwight D Bowman  1   2 , Cameon M Ohmes  3 , Joseph A Hostetler  3 , Daniel J Keil  3 , Terry L Settje  3 , Samuel D Charles  3
Affiliations

Efficacy of 10% imidacloprid + 2.5% moxidectin topical solution (Advantage Multi® for Dogs) for the prevention of heartworm disease and infection all month long

Dwight D Bowman et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: Prior work has shown that the levels of moxidectin in dogs treated with Advantage Multi® for Dogs (Bayer Animal Health) remain at a high plasma concentration for the full month after application. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of 10% imidacloprid + 2.5% moxidectin topical solution (Advantage Multi® for Dogs, also known as Advocate® for Dogs) for the prevention of heartworm infection and disease 30 days after just one application.

Methods: Two groups of eight dogs each were included. Dogs in Group 1 received the product (Advantage Multi® for Dogs) while those in Group 2 remained as nontreated controls. All dogs entering the study completed a physical examination including examination for Dirofilaria immitis antigen and circulating microfilariae. Dogs in Group 1 were treated on Study Day (SD) -30 as per the label recommendation. Thirty days later (SD 0) dogs in Groups 1 and 2 were subcutaneously infected in the inguinal region with approximately 50 infective third-stage D. immitis larvae ("Missouri" isolate). Blood was collected on SDs 120 and 147 for examination for D. immitis antigen and circulating microfilariae. On SD 148, all animals were euthanized and necropsied for recovery of adult heartworms. All procedures were performed in accordance with the VICH GL9 guidelines.

Results: Examination and worm counts made at necropsy showed no heartworms in the treated dogs (Group 1) compared with six of eight nontreated dogs (Group 2) with heartworms (range of 2-33). The treated dogs (Group 1) had significantly fewer heartworms (p < 0.05) compared with the nontreated controls (Group 2).

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that 10% imidacloprid + 2.5% moxidectin topical solution (Advantage Multi® for Dogs) is efficacious for the prevention of heartworm infection and disease all month long with no observation of treatment-related adverse events.

Keywords: 30-Day protection; Advantage Multi® for Dogs; Advocate®; All-month protection; Dirofilaria immitis; Forward protection; Heartworm disease; Imidacloprid; Persistent efficacy; Proactive prevention; moxidectin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval

The study was approved by the facility Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) with the concurrence of Bayer Animal Health and followed the guidelines of Guidance for Industry 85 from the Center for Veterinary Medicine of the US Food and Drug Administration.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

In the past 5 years, DDB has received reimbursement, speaking fees, or research support from Bayer Animal Health, manufacturer of the heartworm preventive used in this research. All other authors are employees of Bayer Animal Health.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

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