Department of Comparative and Experimental Medicine, University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Center for Wildlife Health, Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Institute of Agriculture, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2024 Jun;55(2):453-461. doi: 10.1638/2023-0010.
Chytridiomycosis caused by () has been documented in greater sirens () in the wild and in the pet trade. This study evaluated the use of terbinafine-impregnated implants for chytridiomycosis prophylaxis in greater sirens exposed to . Implants were placed intracoelomically in both control (blank implant, n = 4) and treatment (24.5 mg of terbinafine implant, n = 4) groups. Sirens were exposed to zoospores via 24-h immersion bath at 1 and 2 mon postimplant placement. Blood was collected monthly for plasma terbinafine levels, and skin swabs were collected weekly for quantitative PCR. Animals with terbinafine implants had detectable concentrations of plasma terbinafine ranging from 17 to 102 ng/ml. Only one terbinafine-implanted animal had a peak concentration above the published minimum inhibitory concentration for terbinafine against zoospores (63 ng/ml); however, it is unknown how plasma terbinafine concentrations relate to concentrations in the skin. There was no difference between the two treatment groups in clinical signs or clearance rate, and no adverse effects from implants were observed. These findings indicate using intracoelomic drug implants for drug delivery in amphibians is safe; however, terbinafine efficacy in preventing chytridiomycosis in sirens remains unclear. Further investigation of the use of intracoelomic implants and identification of effective drugs and doses in other amphibian species against and other infectious diseases is warranted, as this may provide a practical method for long-term drug delivery in wildlife.
棘口吸虫病由 ()引起，已在野生和宠物贸易中大蝾螈 ()中得到记录。本研究评估了用特比萘芬浸渍植入物预防接触 的大蝾螈发生棘口吸虫病。将植入物植入对照组（空白植入物，n = 4）和治疗组（24.5 毫克特比萘芬植入物，n = 4）的体腔中。蝾螈在植入后 1 个月和 2 个月通过 24 小时浸浴接触游动孢子。每月采集血液以检测血浆特比萘芬水平，每周采集皮肤拭子进行 定量 PCR。接受特比萘芬植入的动物的血浆特比萘芬浓度可检测到 17 至 102 ng/ml 之间。只有一只接受特比萘芬植入的动物的峰值浓度超过了特比萘芬对游动孢子的公布最低抑菌浓度（63 ng/ml）；然而，尚不清楚血浆特比萘芬浓度与皮肤中的浓度如何相关。两组治疗组在临床症状或清除率方面没有差异，也未观察到植入物的不良反应。这些发现表明，在两栖动物中使用体腔药物植入物进行药物输送是安全的；然而，特比萘芬预防大蝾螈棘口吸虫病的疗效仍不清楚。需要进一步研究体腔植入物的使用以及在其他两栖动物物种中针对 和其他传染病的有效药物和剂量，因为这可能为野生动物的长期药物输送提供一种实用方法。
