Field trial of the efficacy of a combination of imidacloprid and permethrin against Tunga penetrans (sand flea, jigger flea) in dogs in Brazil.

In a field trial in Brazil 17 dogs penetrated by females of the jigger flea, Tunga penetrans, were topically treated with a combination of 10% imidacloprid and 50% permethrin (Advantix), while 17 dogs remained untreated. The follow-up controls on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 post-treatment clearly showed that, beginning from day 7, the flea load in treated dogs decreased, so that most of the dogs became free of tungiasis lesions, while in the untreated group the flea load remained high. Since the dogs distribute the flea eggs throughout the village, leading to a high incidence of tungiasis in humans, treatment of dogs probably also decreases the number of cases of tungiasis in the latter.