Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100, Teramo, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, 06126, Perugia, Italy.
Parasit Vectors. 2021 Mar 6;14(1):143. doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-04648-y.
Capillaria aerophila and Capillaria boehmi parasitize the respiratory system of wild and domestic carnivores. Capillaria aerophila inhabits the trachea and bronchi of dogs and cats, while C. boehmi affects the nasal cavities and sinuses of dogs. In dogs the infection may be subclinical or characterized by varying respiratory distress.
The present study evaluated the efficacy of an oral formulation containing milbemycin oxime and afoxolaner (NEXGARD SPECTRA) in dogs naturally infected with C. aerophila and/or C. boehmi from three enzootic areas of Italy. Dogs were enrolled pending fecal examination and molecular confirmation of respiratory capillarioses. Dogs were allocated in two groups: Group 1 (G1, 25 dogs), treated with a negative control product with no anthelmintic activity (afoxolaner, NEXGARD), and Group 2 (G2, 26 dogs), treated with NEXGARD SPECTRA. At the day of treatment administration (Day 0), all dogs were clinically examined. Dogs were again subjected to clinical and fecal examinations at Days 28 (± 4) and 56 (± 2). The primary criterion for treatment efficacy was the reduction of fecal Capillaria egg counts in G2 compared with G1. The regression of/recovery from baseline clinical signs was considered as a further efficacy criterion.
Percentage reduction of fecal Capillaria egg counts in the NEXGARD SPECTRA group compared to the control group was > 97% on Day 28 and 100% on Day 56, respectively (p < 0.05 for both time points). Twelve of the 13 dogs in the NEXGARD SPECTRA group with respiratory signs prior to treatment were free of clinical signs at the end of the study. Conversely, the six control group dogs with respiratory signs prior to treatment remained symptomatic.
Results of the present study showed that NEXGARD SPECTRA® was safe and highly efficacious in the reduction of C. aerophila and C. boehmi eggs after one treatment with a complete reduction of the egg output after the second administration associated with a recovery from respiratory signs.
嗜气毛细线虫和博氏毛细线虫寄生在野生动物和家养食肉动物的呼吸系统中。嗜气毛细线虫寄生于犬猫的气管和支气管，而博氏毛细线虫则影响犬的鼻腔和鼻窦。在犬中，感染可能是亚临床的，也可能表现为不同程度的呼吸窘迫。
本研究评估了一种含有米尔贝肟和莫昔克丁（NEXGARD SPECTRA）的口服制剂对来自意大利三个地方流行区的自然感染嗜气毛细线虫和/或博氏毛细线虫的犬的疗效。犬在粪便检查和呼吸道毛细线虫分子确认后入组。犬被分为两组：第 1 组（G1，25 只犬），用无驱虫活性的阴性对照药物（莫昔克丁，NEXGARD）治疗；第 2 组（G2，26 只犬），用 NEXGARD SPECTRA 治疗。在治疗给药日（第 0 天），所有犬都进行了临床检查。在第 28（±4）天和第 56（±2）天，对犬再次进行临床和粪便检查。治疗效果的主要标准是 G2 组的粪便中毛细线虫卵数减少，与 G1 组相比。从基线临床症状的恢复也被认为是另一个疗效标准。
与对照组相比，NEXGARD SPECTRA 组在第 28 天和第 56 天的粪便中毛细线虫卵数的减少率分别为>97%和 100%（两个时间点均为 p<0.05）。在治疗前有呼吸道症状的 13 只 NEXGARD SPECTRA 组犬中，有 12 只在研究结束时无临床症状。相反，在治疗前有呼吸道症状的 6 只对照组犬仍有症状。
本研究结果表明，NEXGARD SPECTRA®在单次治疗后可安全且高效地减少嗜气毛细线虫和博氏毛细线虫卵，第二次给药后卵的排出完全减少，并伴有呼吸道症状的恢复。
