Deltamethrin Proves Effective Against Midges in Rainy Weather
GERMANY - A new study shows that the veterinary antiparasitic product BUTOX® 7.5 pour on (deltamethrin) protects cattle during wet conditions against biting midges (Culicoides). These insects are responsible for the transmission of the bluetongue virus.
6 November 2009
1 minute read
Previously, efficacy of BUTOX® had only been proven in dry weather and in animals provided with shelter.
The study, which was supported by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, was performed at the Department of Parasitology of the Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf (Germany) and has been published in the November 2009 issue of Parasitology Research.
Methods
Cattle and sheep were treated with a single application of BUTOX® and subsequently thoroughly wetted twice a week with water. Over a period of four weeks hair was clipped off the legs, near the claws.
Midges where then exposed to the clipped hair and the time to death of the midges after exposure to deltamethrin was recorded.
Conclusion
BUTOX® remained effective - killing all exposed insects - during wet conditions for at least four weeks, although in sheep the average time to midge death was longer in animals exposed to wet conditions as compared to animals in dry conditions.
“This finding is highly encouraging as it shows that deltamethrin protects cattle and sheep in rainy weather conditions as well, which is particularly relevant in situations when vaccination against bluetongue virus is not feasible such as with emergence of new serotypes of the virus,” explains Dr. Heinz Mehlhorn, study director at the Heinrich-Heine University.
TheCattleSite News Desk
