Two drugs commonly used by veterinarians to control parasites may be effective against bed bugs, with one showing particularly strong potential, according to a new study from North Carolina State University that examined drugs in the context of control resurgent bed bug populations on poultry farms.
Fluralaner and ivermectin, which are used to kill fleas and ticks on pets like dogs and cats, among other uses, have been tested for their effectiveness in killing bed bugs. In a collaboration between entomologists and veterinary scientists from the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine, researchers tested bed bug mortality rates in different experiments: after the insects consumed blood mixed with the drugs on the lab bench and after bedbugs bit and fed chickens that had ingested or received topical treatment with the drugs.
Fluralaner is a relatively new, longer-lasting antiparasitic drug used primarily for companion animals; however, Europe and Australia have approved its use for the poultry industry. Besides domestic pet uses, ivermectin effectively serves antiparasitic uses in human populations, especially in Africa, as well as in larger animals.
Both drugs showed potent efficacy on the lab bench, killing most bed bugs, although fluralaner was much more effective on bed bugs that showed resistance to common insecticides.
“The drugs affect receptors in the insect’s nervous system,” said Coby Schal, Blanton J. Whitmire Professor Emeritus of Entomology at NC State and corresponding author of a paper describing the work.
Fluralener was very effective in killing bed bugs that fed on chickens dosed with the drug. Ivermectin, on the other hand, was ineffective against bed bugs that fed on dosed chickens.
“We used the recommended dose of ivermectin, in topical or ingested form, but neither was able to kill the bedbugs,” said Maria González-Morales, a former doctoral student. student at NC State and first author of the article.
Researchers say chickens could quickly metabolize or eliminate ivermectin from their systems.
“The bedbug is an insect of global importance,” Schal said. “The past few decades have seen a resurgence of bedbugs in homes, and now we are seeing bedbugs returning to poultry farms. Since there is no proven method to stop bed bugs on commercial farms, potential problems on poultry farms could be We are trying to get ahead by developing technologies that can eliminate bed bugs. ”
“The health effects of a bedbug infestation on poultry are not well documented, but anecdotally, poultry farmers see animal welfare issues like stress and anemia, which could negatively affect meat or egg production,” González-Morales said.
“Workers on these farms are also concerned about how easily bed bugs can spread from poultry to humans,” Schal added.
The researchers say that dosing fluralaner in poultry drinking water could be an effective measure against bed bugs. A combination of monitoring, education, heat treatments and fluralaner could hold the key to eradicating bed bugs from infested poultry farms, they add.
The study appears in Parasites and vectors. Andrea E. Thomson, Olivia A. Petritz, Rocio Crespo, Ahmed Haija, Richard G. Santangelo co-authored the article. Funding was provided by the Blanton J. Whitmire Endowment at NC State and grants from the Healthy Homes Program of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (NCHHU0053-19) and the National Science Foundation (DEB-1754190).
Source of the story:
Material provided by North Carolina State University. Original written by Mick Kulikowski. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.