Abstract
The systemic activity of pyriproxyfen in the blood diet was investigated for its efficacy in control of adult, egg, and larval stages of the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis Bouche). Adult fleas were housed in plastic cages and fed treated blood maintained in the heated chamber of an artificial membrane feeding system. The membrane consisted of thinly stretched parafilm which allowed fleas to feed ad-libitum on bovine blood much like they would feed through the skin of a pet animal. Control fleas were fed blood without pyriproxyfen. Significant mortality occurred when adult fleas were fed for a period of 11 days on blood containing concentrations of pyriproxyfen ranging from 1 to 10 ppm. In this experiment, 80-90% of the fleas died by day 9 compared with 15% mortality in the controls. Eggs also failed to hatch when they were laid by fleas fed blood containing concentrations of pyriproxyfen as low as 0.001 ppm. Likewise, larvae failed to reach the adult stage when they were fed fecal blood excreted by fleas fed blood containing a minimum of 1 ppm pyriproxyfen. These results suggest that pyriproxyfen may be effective for control of all stages of the cat flea when fed as an oral medication to pets and that further testing is warranted in live animals.
Meier, Kristin Andra (1996). Effect of pyriproxyfen in the blood diet of adult cat fleas on adult survival, egg viability and larval development. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1996 -THESIS -M445.