Observational analysis shows reduced D. caninum scolices in cats treated with Revolution Plus, highlighting efficacy against fleas.
Background Revolution ® Plus is a topical combination drug product containing selamectin and sarolaner that has been proven effective against the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis , the intermediate host of the cestode Dipylidium caninum . Here, we report two studies evaluating the efficacy of a single administration of Revolution Plus in preventing D. caninum infection in cats for 1 month through killing of the flea intermediate host. Methods Two studies (study 1 and 2) with the same design were conducted. In both studies, 2 treatment groups of ten cats each were enrolled. On Day 0, the cats in group 1 were treated with a placebo, and the cats in group 2 were treated with Revolution Plus at the minimum recommended dose of 6.0 mg/kg selamectin and 1.0 mg/kg sarolaner. After treatment on Day 0, as well as on Days 7, 14, 21, and 30, the cats in both treatment groups were infested with 100 (± 5) unfed, D. caninum -infected fleas. Live flea counts were conducted on Day 33 (72 ± 2 h after Day 30 infestation). All cats were euthanized on Day 58, and necropsies were performed to enumerate D. caninum scolices in the gastrointestinal tract. Results In both study 1 and 2, all placebo-treated cats were infested with two or more D. caninum scolices at necropsy. Significantly lower mean flea counts were recorded for the Revolution Plus-treated cats compared with placebo-treated cats ( P ≤ 0.0001), and efficacy based on least squares mean flea counts on Day 33 was 100% (in study 1) and 94.3% (in study 2). Scolex counts were also significantly decreased in Revolution Plus-treated cats compared with placebo-treated cats, with a 97.1% efficacy in study 1 and a 99.3% efficacy in study 2. Conclusions One topical administration of Revolution Plus at the minimum dosage of 6.0 mg/kg selamectin and 1.0 mg/kg sarolaner provided high efficacy in the prevention of D. caninum infection through the killing of its vector, C. felis , for an entire month.
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Weaver et al. (2025) studied this question.