Effects of sublethal exposure to abamectin on the biological performance of Neoseiulus longispinosus (Evans) were studied under ambient laboratory conditions of 28 +/- 2 degrees C and 80 +/- 15% RH with 24 h light. The red form of the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, complex (Acari: Tetranychidae), was offered as prey. The LC50 obtained from the contact bioassay at 48 h after treatment was 0.015 ppm (AI). A big change in kill for a given variation in dosage for the regression slope probably indicated that abamectin was unlikely selective. Sublethal exposure to abamectin caused a reduction in survival with the female reaching 50% mortality by the sixth day and the male 4 d later. The mean preoviposition period was extended by almost 1 d, whereas the mean oviposition period was shortened by almost 5 d causing a reduction in the mean fecundity female-1 to almost half that of the untreated females. The net reproductive rate (Ro), the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), and the finite rate of increase (lambda) of the treated females were markedly inferior. Treated males were seriously affected; the mean life span was almost half that of the untreated.
Ivermectin (IVM) is an FDA approved macrocyclic lactone compound traditionally used to treat parasitic infestations and has shown to have antiviral potential from previous in-vitro studies. Currently, IVM is commercially available as a veterinary drug but have also been applied in humans to treat onchocerciasis (river blindness - a parasitic worm infection) and strongyloidiasis (a roundworm/nematode infection). In light of the recent pandemic, the repurposing of IVM to combat SARS-CoV-2 has acquired significant attention. Recently, IVM has been proven effective in numerous in-silico and molecular biology experiments against the infection in mammalian cells and human cohort studies. One promising study had reported a marked reduction of 93% of released virion and 99.98% unreleased virion levels upon administration of IVM to Vero-hSLAM cells. IVM's mode of action centres around the inhibition of the cytoplasmic-nuclear shuttling of viral proteins by disrupting the Importin heterodimer complex (IMPα/β1) and downregulating STAT3, thereby effectively reducing the cytokine storm. Furthermore, the ability of IVM to block the active sites of viral 3CLpro and S protein, disrupts important machinery such as viral replication and attachment. This review compiles all the molecular evidence to date, in review of the antiviral characteristics exhibited by IVM. Thereafter, we discuss IVM's mechanism and highlight the clinical advantages that could potentially contribute towards disabling the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2. In summary, the collective review of recent efforts suggests that IVM has a prophylactic effect and would be a strong candidate for clinical trials to treat SARS-CoV-2.
In vitro sensitivity of Acanthamoeba castellani was tested to three drugs: Chloroquine, ivermectin and fungizone (amphotericin B). Sensitivity was demonstrated to the latter two compounds but not to chloroquine. Thus ivermectin and amphotericin B show promise as therapeutic agents against this parasite.
The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was conducted on 39 sheep farms and 9 goat farms located in Peninsular Malaysia. The anthelmintic groups used in these tests were the benzimidazoles, levamisole, the benzimidazole/levamisole combination, macrocyclic lactones and closantel. Results indicated that the prevalence of resistance to the benzimidazole group was high, with approximately 50% of the sheep farms and 75% of the goat farms having resistant nematode parasite populations present. Resistance to levamisole, closantel and ivermectin was also detected. Differentiation of the infective larvae derived from faecal cultures indicated that by far the most predominant parasite species was Haemonchus contortus.