Federal University of Fronteira Sul, Av. Fernando Machado 108 E, Chapecó, SC, 89802-112, Brazil.
Department of Soil Science, Santa Catarina State University, Av. Luis de Camões, 2090, Lages, SC, 88520-000, Brazil.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Feb;26(6):5842-5850. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-4022-7. Epub 2019 Jan 6.
The cattle production in Brazil has increased considerably in the last years, mainly due to the control of parasite infestation of the animals, which cause loss of productivity to the sector. Fluazuron is an active ingredient (a.i.) of the benzoylurea class used to control ticks in cattle. As this a.i. has been found unchanged in animal feces, which may present a risk to edaphic organisms, this study aimed to assess the effects of fluazuron on survival, reproduction, and behavior of the soil invertebrates Folsomia candida and Eisenia andrei, through ecotoxicological assays. We carried out bioassays in a tropical artificial soil (TAS) spiked with increasing doses of the insecticide. Earthworm mortality was found only at the highest tested fluazuron concentration (LOEC = 160 mg a.i. kg dry soil and NOEC = 80 mg kg), while the reproduction of F. candida and E. andrei was reduced at lower fluazuron concentrations (EC = 4.48 mg kg and EC = 20.8 mg kg, respectively). Avoidance behavior was detected for both species at lower concentrations than those that caused impacts on reproduction, indicating that the substance may affect the soil habitat function. Since the possible adverse effects of fluazuron on edaphic fauna are still unknown or neglected, this study also warns about the possible harmful effect of veterinary pharmaceutical products on edaphic fauna.
近年来，巴西的牛产量大幅增加，主要得益于对动物寄生虫感染的控制，这些寄生虫感染会导致该行业的生产力下降。氟虫脲是苯甲酰脲类的一种活性成分 (a.i.)，用于控制牛身上的蜱虫。由于这种 a.i. 在动物粪便中未发生变化，而动物粪便可能对土壤生物构成风险，因此本研究旨在通过生态毒理学试验评估氟虫脲对 Folsomia candida 和 Eisenia andrei 等土壤无脊椎动物的生存、繁殖和行为的影响。我们在含有递增剂量杀虫剂的热带人工土壤 (TAS) 中进行了生物测定。只有在最高测试氟虫脲浓度下（LOEC = 160 mg a.i. kg 干土和 NOEC = 80 mg kg）才发现蚯蚓死亡，而 F. candida 和 E. andrei 的繁殖则在较低的氟虫脲浓度下受到抑制（EC = 4.48 mg kg 和 EC = 20.8 mg kg）。两种物种都在导致繁殖受到影响的浓度更低时表现出回避行为，表明该物质可能会影响土壤栖息地功能。由于氟虫脲对土壤动物群可能产生的不利影响尚不清楚或被忽视，因此本研究还警告了兽医制药产品可能对土壤动物群造成的有害影响。
