12 Dec 2022
CVS invests nearly £100,000 from its Clinical Research Awards programme for an ectoparasite project led by Richard Wall and a team at the University of Bristol.
Allister Webb
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Image: © constantincornel / Adobe Stock
One of the UK’s largest veterinary groups is funding a new study to examine whether flea and tick treatments used on companion animals could be harming the environment.
The CVS Group has invested nearly £100,000 from its Clinical Research Awards programme into the ectoparasite project, for which it has teamed up with the University of Bristol.
The three-year study is due to begin in the new year, and bosses believe the work could be crucial to both future animal and human health issues.
CVS CVO Paul Higgs said: “As part of an essential one health approach to health care we can no longer consider veterinary treatment in isolation from human and environmental health.
“This project is critical to our understanding of the impact that treatment for ‘the individual’ can have on wider human, animal and environmental health.”
Concerns have been growing for some time about the potential environmental impact of parasiticides that are commonly used in small animal care.
Last year, the BVA, BSAVA and British Veterinary Zoological Society published a five-point plan, which advised vets to record and monitor the use of parasiticides and avoid adopting a blanket approach to treatment, tailoring care to the individual animal’s needs and the assessed level of risk.
At the time, the BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey found 87% of companion animal vets agreed that environmental risk assessments for small animal medicines were needed.
The three bodies also called for the VMD to reconsider the classification of over-the-counter parasiticide products in an effort to promote responsible use by pet owners.
The development of further practical guidance for professionals was also listed among the environmental policy, lobbying and campaign priorities that were approved by the BVA council in September.
The moves followed research published in Science of the Total Environment in 2020, which found environmentally significant levels of fipronil and imidacloprid used in flea treatments were present in English rivers, often well above safety limits.
The paper also suggested a “re-evaluation” of the environmental risks associated with the products and their management procedures may be necessary.
But while significant population falls among a number of insect species have previously been linked to the use of agricultural chemicals, the potential role of companion animal parasiticides is less clearly understood.
The study will incorporate laboratory assessments of residues from companion animals with what is being billed as a large “citizen science” project that aims to broaden understanding of how the products are both used and perceived by pet owners.
They hope the work will enable the profession to develop more appropriate strategies for parasiticide use by both vets and owners, as well as ensuring pets get the treatment they need.
Lizzie McLennan-Green, CVS small animal veterinary director, said: “In considering our approach to preventive ectoparasiticide treatment it became quickly apparent that the evidence base was largely absent.
“We are delighted to be collaborating with the University of Bristol on this much-needed research project, which will support our decision-making and that of the wider industry, helping us to balance animal, human and environmental health into the future.”
Richard Wall, who will lead the study at Bristol, added: “This is an issue of considerable concern where research is urgently needed so that risk-based assessments of the impact of – and requirements for – ectoparasite treatment can be made.
“While we can make some assumptions around the impact of routine ectoparasite treatment, this research is essential for us to truly understand this and to be able to balance the needs of veterinary patients with these wider impacts based on firm evidence.”
The study, called “Assessing the environmental risk from ectoparasite treatments in companion animals”, will be conducted through a full-time PhD studentship and is due to begin in January.
CVS has invested £95,000 in the research, which is 1 of 16 projects that have received financial support from the Clinical Research Awards programme since its launch earlier this year.
Details of how to apply for funding from the scheme can be found online now.
