Prophylactic treatment of flea-infested cats with an imidacloprid/flumethrin collar to forestall infection with Dipylidium caninum

Table 3 Development, prevalence and mean intensity of infection of Dipylidium caninum metacestodes in Ctenocephalides felis felis

Fleas		Number of metacestodes					Infection
Days post-pupation	No. examined	Position of rostellar hooks				Total	Prevalence (%)	Average intensity in infected fleas
Days post-pupation	No. examined	None¹	Scattered²	Organizing³	Organized^{4, 5}	Total	Prevalence (%)	Average intensity in infected fleas
7	100	161	0	0	0	161	43	3.74
10	100	49	148	1	0	198	40	4.95
13	100	19	81	1	0	101	42	2.40
16	100	15	45	3	2	65	21	3.10
19	100	0	12	8	1	21	12	1.75
22	100	0	5	3	1	9	5	1.80
25	100	0	1	0	1	2	2	1.00
29	100	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

¹ No rostellar hooklest present (non-infective).
² Hooklets visible (non-infective).
³ Some scattered hooklets still visible but starting to migrate to a single point (non-infective).
⁴ Hooklets organizing into characteristic circle/rosette shape (possibly infective), or ⁵ rostellum with organized hooklets clearly visible (infective).

ISSN: 1756-3305