Treatment of horses with cypermethrin against the biting flies Culicoides nubeculosus, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus.
Abstract: An in vitro assay was used to assess the efficacy of the proprietary pyrethroid insecticide cypermethrin applied to horses (Deosect spray, 5.0%, w/v Fort Dodge Animal Health) against the biting midge Culicoides nubeculosus (Meigen) (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti Linneaus and Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae). Hair was collected from the back, belly and legs of the horses immediately prior to treatment and 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after treatment, and also from untreated controls. In laboratory assays groups of 10 adult female C. nubeculosus, Ae. aegypti or C. quinquefasciatus were exposed to 0.5g of hair for 3min. In all cases, little or no mortality was observed in insects kept in contact with the pre-treatment samples or the untreated controls. With post-treatment samples for C. nubeculosus, mortality was close to 80% 7 days after treatment and then declined gradually; mean mortality was still at around 50% for hair collected 35 days after treatment. In general, Ae. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus appeared to be less susceptible to cypermethrin than C. nubeculosus and the attenuation of the toxic effect declined more quickly with time after treatment. There were differences in the toxicity of hair from different body regions, with hair from the back consistently inducing the highest mortality and hair from the legs the lowest; this effect was more pronounced for C. nubeculosus than Ae. aegypti or C. quinquefasciatus. The results demonstrate the potential for topical insecticide treatment to offer protection to horses against biting flies; but highlight the major differences that exist in susceptibility between different insect species.
Publication Date: 2009-12-28 PubMed ID: 20074858DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.12.023Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Animal Health
- Animal Studies
- Culicoides
- Cyathostomins
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- In Vitro Research
- In Vivo
- Insect Bite Hypersensitivity
- Mosquito-borne Diseases
- Pathogens
- Pharmacokinetics
- Pharmacology
- Topical Administration
- Toxicology
- Vector-borne disease
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The study focuses on the impact and effectiveness of the insecticide cypermethrin on horses to control and protect against biting flies like Culicoides nubeculosus, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus. The research identifies the variations in susceptibility to the insecticide across different insect species and diverse body parts of the horse.
Methodology
- Using an in vitro assay, the researchers measured the efficacy of cypermethrin, a proprietary pyrethroid insecticide, against several species of biting midges and mosquitoes.
- The study collected horse hair from the back, belly, and legs at different time intervals, both before and after the application of the Deosect spray. These intervals included immediately prior to treatment and 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days after treatment.
- In a laboratory setting, groups of 10 adult female insects from each species were exposed to 0.5g of horse hair for a duration of 3 minutes.
Findings
- There was little to no mortality among the insects exposed to the pre-treatment horse hair samples or the untreated controls.
- Seven days after the treatment, approximately 80% of C. nubeculosus subjects exposed to treated horse hair died. The mortality rate then gradually decreased, though it still hovered around 50% 35 days after treatment.
- In general, Ae. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus appeared to be less susceptible to cypermethrin than C. nubeculosus, and the toxic effect of the treatment diminished more rapidly over time.
- Different body parts of the horses exhibited varying levels of toxicity with the back’s hair causing the most insect deaths and the leg’s hair causing the least. This effect was more pronounced for C. nubeculosus than Ae. aegypti or C. quinquefasciatus.
Implications
- The study underscores the potential of using topical insecticides for protecting horses against biting flies.
- It also highlights the significant disparities in insecticide susceptibility among different insect species, which could inform more effective pest control strategies in the future.
Cite This Article
APA
Papadopoulos E, Rowlinson M, Bartram D, Carpenter S, Mellor P, Wall R.
(2009).
Treatment of horses with cypermethrin against the biting flies Culicoides nubeculosus, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus.
Vet Parasitol, 169(1-2), 165-171.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.12.023 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, Thessaloniki, Greece. eliaspap@vet.auth.gr
MeSH Terms
- Administration, Topical
- Aedes / drug effects
- Animals
- Ceratopogonidae / drug effects
- Culex / drug effects
- Diptera / drug effects
- Female
- Horses / parasitology
- Insecticides / administration & dosage
- Insecticides / toxicity
- Mosquito Control
- Pyrethrins / administration & dosage
- Pyrethrins / toxicity
Grant Funding
- BBS/E/I/00001445 / Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Söderroos D, Ignell R, Haubro Andersen P, Bergvall K, Riihimäki M. The Effect of Insect Bite Hypersensitivity on Movement Activity and Behaviour of the Horse. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 8;13(8).
- . Bluetongue: control, surveillance and safe movement of animals. EFSA J 2017 Mar;15(3):e04698.
- Chapman GE, Baylis M, Archer DC. Survey of UK horse owners' knowledge of equine arboviruses and disease vectors. Vet Rec 2018 Aug 4;183(5):159.
- White SM, Sanders CJ, Shortall CR, Purse BV. Mechanistic model for predicting the seasonal abundance of Culicoides biting midges and the impacts of insecticide control. Parasit Vectors 2017 Mar 27;10(1):162.
- Schurink A, Wolc A, Ducro BJ, Frankena K, Garrick DJ, Dekkers JC, van Arendonk JA. Genome-wide association study of insect bite hypersensitivity in two horse populations in the Netherlands. Genet Sel Evol 2012 Oct 30;44(1):31.
- Carbonell JD, Fernández N, Escobar MJ, Álvarez MT, Sánchez L, Hernández A, Meana A. Comparative Efficacy of Topical Pyrethroids and Benzoyl Peroxide for Treating Chorioptic Mange in Spanish-Breton Horses. J Parasitol Res 2025;2025:8948099.
- Genchi M, Kramer L, Valentini G, Allievi G, Ciuca L, Vismarra A. Efficacy of topical administration of prallethrin-permethrin-piperonyl butoxide (Bronco® Equine Fly Spray) for the treatment and control of flies and other nuisance insects of horses. Parasitol Res 2023 Dec;122(12):3139-3145.
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