Two Common Medications Used by Veterinarians To Treat Parasites Will Work Against Bed Bugs

According to a recent study from North Carolina State University, two common drugs used by veterinarians to treat parasites may be effective against bed bugs, with one showing particularly strong potential.

The study focused on the drugs in the context of controlling resurgent bed bug populations on poultry farms.

Common veterinary drugs show effectiveness against bed bugs

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The ability of fluralaner and ivermectin to eradicate bed bugs was examined. These drugs are commonly used to eradicate fleas and ticks on domestic pets like dogs and cats.

Researchers from NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine collaborated with entomologists to test the mortality rates of bed bugs in two different experiments after the insects ate blood mixed with the drugs on a lab bench and after bed bugs bit and fed off chickens that had either consumed the drugs or had them applied topically.

A more recent, longer-lasting anti-parasitic medication called fluralaner is primarily used on pets; however, Europe and Australia have approved its use in the poultry industry.

Ivermectin is an effective anti-parasitic agent used not only for domestic pets but also for human populations, particularly in Africa, and larger animals.

The majority of bed bugs were killed by both medications on the lab bench, but fluralaner was much more effective against bed bugs that had developed resistance to common insecticides.

According to Coby Schal, the Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor of Entomology at NC State and the paper's corresponding author, "the drugs affect receptors in the insect nervous system."

Fluralener was very effective at killing bed bugs that consumed the drug-treated chickens. Ivermectin, on the other hand, had no effect on bed bugs that consumed dosed chickens.

According to Schal, the bed bug is a significant insect on the planet. Bed bugs have been returning to homes over the past few decades, and now we are seeing them in poultry farms as well.

Due to the fact that there is no effective way to prevent bed bugs in commercial farms, the potential issues on poultry farms could be severe.

By creating bed bug-eradicating technologies, we're attempting to get ahead of the problem.

Although the health effects of bed bug infestation on poultry are not well understood, according to the paper's first author and former NC State Ph.D. student Maria González-Morales, anecdotally, poultry farmers report seeing animal welfare issues like stress and anemia, which may have a negative impact on meat or egg production.

Read more: Study: Bed Bugs Have Favorite Colors, Too!

fluralaner and ivermectin against different bed bug strains

The researchers used a membrane feeding system to conduct dose-response studies of fluralaner and ivermectin against various bed bug strains as part of their methods, as per aviNews.

Additionally, some of the drug doses are administered to the chicks orally and topically. Entomologists and researchers from NC State University's Veterinary College examined the mortality rates of bed bugs in the following ways:

The drugs on the lab bench were subsequently contaminated with blood from the parasites.

After chickens are treated with drugs either by one of the methods or by biting bed bugs and eating them.

Bed bugs died off in large numbers as a result of both drugs. The fluralaner, however, was more effective against bed bugs that were resistant to pyrethroid and fipronil.

Similar results were seen when fluralaner was administered to chickens via ingestion; particularly high mortality of undesirable bugs was noted in chickens up to 28 days after treatment.

Indicative of a new drug to treat these parasites, this study showed the intriguing effects of using fluralaner against bed bugs.

Related article: Tropical Bedbug Species Reappear in the US