Common pet flea and tick drugs may be contaminating the environment, posing a particular risk to scavenging insects. Researchers from VetAgro Sup, Campus Vétérinaire (Lyon, France) have investigated a class of antiparasitic medications, commonly used for flea and tick prevention in cats and dogs, revealing that the drugs persist in pet feces and may therefore be hazardous to dung-feeding insects. Isoxazoline antiparasitic drugs are a relatively new class of ectoparasiticides used in veterinary medicine to treat companion animals. Isoxazoline’s four active substances – fluralaner, afoxolaner, lotilaner and sarolaner – are marketed worldwide for the control of fleas and ticks. These are primarily eliminated via the biliary/fecal route, which presents a risk of environmental contamination. The European Medicines Agency (EMA; Amsterdam, Netherlands) addressed this potential in a scientific opinion on the environmental risk assessment of ectoparasiticides used in domestic animals. It concluded that there is currently insufficient data about the release of these substances into the environment and the impact this may have on non-target species, although recent studies suggest that fluralaner and other antiparasitics can be transferred to the environment via feces, urine and pet hair. Seeking to fill this knowledge gap, researchers examined fecal elimination of isoxazoline drugs in dogs and cats owned by veterinary students. A total of 40 animals were treated over the course of the study, which tasked owners with collecting their pets’ feces. Earthworms vs antibiotic resistance: an unexpected ally? Earthworms could become unexpected allies in the global fight against antibiotic resistance by helping farmers…
