Comparison of subcutaneous ivermectin and oral moxidectin for the treatment of notoedric acariasis in hamsters

Thirty hamsters diagnosed with a Notoedres infestation on the basis of their clinical signs and skin scrapings were allocated to three matched groups. The hamsters in group 1 received ivermectin at 400 microg/kg subcutaneously once a week for eight weeks, those in group 2 were treated with moxidectin at 400 microg/kg orally once a week, and those in group 3 were treated with moxidectin at the same dosage, but twice a week. The hamsters' skin lesions were scored weekly on the basis of the severity of crusting, erythema, scaling and excoriations at various sites. In all three groups the lesion scores were significantly lower after four and eight weeks, and there was no significant difference between the efficacy of the treatments. However, at the end of the treatment, skin scrapings were negative in only 60 to 70 per cent of the animals in each group.