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Background Documented changes in spatial and seasonal tick distribution highlight the importance of continuous surveillance. This paper documents results of a year-round sampling campaign in France, including identification of ticks and associated pathogens recovered from dogs and cats, as part of the European project “Protect Our Future Too.” Methods Ticks were collected from dogs and cats presented to 35 veterinary practices from 27 administrative French departments between April 2021 and July 2022. DNA extracted from each tick sample was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for simultaneous detection of 18 types of protozoan or bacterial microorganisms. Results Among 777 collected ticks, 6 species were morphologically identified in descending prevalence order as: Ixodes ricinus (58.3%), Dermacentor reticulatus (24.2%, mainly on dogs), I. hexagonus (7.2%, mainly on cats), Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (3.6%, mainly on dogs), I. canisuga (one tick collected from a cat), and Haemaphysalis punctata (one tick from a dog). Geographical distribution varied by tick species: I. ricinus and D. reticulatus were more frequent in northeast France, whereas R. sanguineus (s.l.) was predominant in southeast France. Ticks were collected throughout the study period but peaked in spring and early summer for I. ricinus and late winter and spring for D. reticulatus . The ticks R. sanguineus (s.l.) were collected only during summer. In total, 71.0% of the ticks were positive for DNA of at least one microorganism. Anaplasma bacteria were most frequent (up to 75.3% in I. ricinus ) followed by Rickettsia (up to 49.5% in D. reticulatus ). Piroplasm DNA ( Babesia / Theileria / Cytauxzoon spp.) was found in 6.4% of I .  ricinus , 5.3% of D. reticulatus , and 3.6% of both I. hexagonus and R. sanguineus (s.l). Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato DNA was detected in 10.2% of I. ricinus . Mycoplasma haemominutum/haematoparvum DNA was detected in 21.8% of D. reticulatus , whereas M. turicensis DNA was detected in 14.3% of I. hexagonus. Conclusions Results of this study show that ticks are a year-round risk for dogs and cats in France, and tick-borne pathogens are present as mono- or coinfections at high frequencies. Tick control recommendations for veterinarians and dog and cat owners should incorporate these risks. Graphical abstract

Background Flea bite is considered to be the main cause of allergic dermatitis in cats. There is a need for treatments able to control clinical signs of allergic dermatitis associated with flea bite in cats. This was an open pre-treatment versus post-treatment clinical field study. All cats included in the study presented pruritus, skin lesions or other evidence compatible with flea infestation. Skin lesions were assessed (using SCORFAD) at days 0, 28, 56 and 84 whereas pruritus severity was assessed (using PVAS) at days 0, 15, 28, 56 and 84. On day 0, The fluralaner (280 mg/ml) product (Bravecto® spot-on for cats) was supplied in pipettes containing 0.4, 0.89 and 1.79 ml for cats of 1.2–2.8 kg, > 2.8–6.25 kg and > 6.25–12.5 kg body weight, respectively. The other animals living in the same household also received fluralaner. Based on cytological examination at day 0, oral amoxicillin and clavulanic acid was prescribed for 21 days if indicated. For cats presenting intense pruritus and discomfort at day 0, oral prednisolone at 0.5 mg/kg was prescribed for 3 days. Results During the study all cats, except for one (cat number 10), improved significantly. Post-treatment median SCORFAD scores at all evaluations were significantly different from the pre-treatment score on day 0 ( P values < 0.002 for all three post treatment examination days) with a score reduction of 49% on day 28, 79% on day 56 and 87% on day 84. The PVAS score decreased significantly over the study period for all cats but one (cat number 10). Post-treatment median PVAS scores at all evaluations were significantly different from the pre-treatment PVAS score on day 0 ( P value < 0.002 for all four post-treatment days) with a reduction of 46% on day 15, 67% on day 28, 82% on day 56 and 92% on day 84. No adverse reaction or other health issue was reported during the study. Conclusions A single topical treatment with fluralaner results in a significant reduction of flea bite allergic dermatitis clinical signs in cats over the subsequent 12 weeks without any additional environmental treatment.

Background Fluralaner is the first orally administered isoxazoline to provide 12 weeks of activity against fleas and ticks after a single administration. As a result of its potent anti-flea activity, oral fluralaner may be proposed as a component of a strategy for the control of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) in dogs. The open field study reported here assessed the efficacy of fluralaner for long-term control (up to 6 months) of FAD in affected client-owned dogs maintained under common household conditions in the Ile-de-France region. Methods This was an open pre-treatment versus post-treatment study. Client-owned dogs with clinical signs of FAD were recruited and treated with oral fluralaner (Bravecto®) at 25-56 mg/kg body weight on days 0 and 84. The dogs’ condition was assessed at each visit (on days 0, 28, 84 and 168) using the following three parameters: (i) extent of skin lesions based on the scoring system for canine FAD; (ii) pruritus severity based on the pruritus visual analog scale; (iii) presence or absence of fleas or flea feces. Results Of the 26 dogs initially enrolled, 23 were presented on day 28, 20 on day 84 and 16 for the final evaluation on day 168. Eighteen out of 20 dogs (90 %) presented on day 84 and 15 out of 16 dogs (94 %) presented on day 168 showed a complete clinical resolution. The post-treatment FAD clinical scores on days 28, 84 and 168 were significantly different from that of the pre-treatment with a reduction of 89.8 %, 98.8 % and 99.8 %, respectively. The post-treatment pruritus index values on days 28, 84 and 168 were significantly different from that of the pre-treatment with a reduction of 45.2 %, 71.2 % and 80.8 %, respectively. Conclusions The present study confirmed that oral fluralaner treatment should be considered as effective for long-term control of clinical signs in FAD affected dogs.