Concentration of ivermectin in bovine serum and its effect on the fecundity of psoroptic mange mites.

The concentration-time profile of ivermectin in serum was determined for 3 Hereford heifers. The mean maximum serum concentration, 29 ng of ivermectin/ml, was obtained 48 hours after single subcutaneous injection of 200 micrograms/kg of body weight. The fecundity of mites placed on 9 treated animals at 5, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 days after injection was reduced by 96% to 99%. At 24 days after treatment, when serum concentration had decreased to about 2 ng/ml, the capability of mites to produce eggs increased to 50% of mites from nontreated calves. At 27 and 30 days after the drug was injected, egg production by mites on treated calves was equivalent to that of mites on nontreated calves. The reduced fecundity resulted from an almost complete cessation of oviposition by females after only a 1-day exposure to ivermectin-treated calves.