The US Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency authorisation for an over-the-counter screwworm drug that can be given to pets, days after an infectious pest was detected in a dog in New Mexico.
Pet owners can purchase nitenpyram tablets to treat New World screwworm infections in cats and dogs that are at least 0.9kg and four weeks old, the agency said in a statement on June 11.
Screwworm has made a return to the US after the country went a decade without a case. The disease is spread by infected flies, which lay eggs in open wounds or body openings and feed on the tissue or flesh of warm-blooded animals. The eggs hatch into maggots and cause a painful wound, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease is treatable but can otherwise be dangerous. At least four cases of the parasite have been found in US cattle and a goat in Texas, while a dog in New Mexico was also infected.
There is still little risk to pets, experts say. Dog owners can still safely take their pets on routine walks unless they have fresh, untreated injuries, according to Sharon Nachman, chief of paediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital in New York.
Nitenpyram is the first generic drug the FDA has approved to treat the parasitic infection. It has also issued 10 other emergency approvals and three conditional approvals for screwworm drugs.
The medication, which comes in tablet form, kills most screwworm larvae within hours of the first dose. Pet owners should give dogs or cats a second dose six hours after the first. They should then follow up with veterinarian to have any remaining larvae removed, the FDA said. Nitenpyram does not protect against reinfection.
Nitenpyram is already available over the counter for use in preventing flea infestations. It is sold under brand names like Capstar and Capaction. BLOOMBERG
