AU629205B2

AU629205B2 - Improvements in the inhibition of ectoparasites

Info

Publication number: AU629205B2
Application number: AU32603/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Vincent Henry Guerrini
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-08-18
Filing date: 1989-04-10
Publication date: 1992-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 2009-04-10
Also published as: AU3260389A

Description

i& ;i i j Ilj P/00/011 2205 PATENTS ACT 1952-1973 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Form Class: Int. Cl: Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: 0 Related Art: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT SName of Applicant: VINCENT HENRY GUERRINI Address of Applicant: 173 CHATSWOOD ROAD, DAISY HILL 4128, QLD. AUSTRALIA 1- Actual Inventor: VINCENT HENRY GUERRINI Address for Service: VETSEARCH, 173 CHATSWOOD ROAD, DAISY HILL 4128, QLD.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: IMPROVEMENTS IN THE INHIBITION OF ECTOPARASITES The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:-* "Note: The description is to be typed in double spacing, pica type face, in an area not exceeding 250 mm in depth and 160 mm in width, on tough white paper of good quality and it is to be inserted inside this form.

11710/76-L C.J. TIOMPSON. Commonwealth Government Printer, Canberra -I

I

i

N

ii IMPROVEMENTS IN THE INHIBITION OF ECTOPARASITES This invention relates to a method of applying pesticidal or insect repellant substances to animals and devices used in the method. The method and devices have particular application to the treatment of ectoparasites in sheep and are described here in that context. However, it should be appreciated that the present invention is in no way limited to that application.

It has been found in practice that repeated spraying or dipping, pouring, dusting or misting of pesticidal substances and/or insect repellents on sheep is required to effectively protect sheep against ectoparasites for sustained periods because the time period the pesticidal substances act at the site of attack is limited by dilution and/or leaching by water and/or inactivation and/or degradation of the pesticidal/insect repelling substances by exposure to ultraviolet light and air.

It has been found that current methods of pest control including spraying and dipping expose humans to direct contact with toxic pesticides which can produce toxic effects on humans.

Conventional methods to treat ectoparasites in sheep are time consuming and labour intensive because for each treatment animals must be gathered and made to pass through an application apparatus and/or sprayed or dipped. One example of this is the treatment of blowfly strike in sheep wherein pesticidal substances must be applied two or more times each year in order to provide year round protection against infestation by the larvae of the blowfly insect Lucilia cuprina.

C C' ec; A wet fleece induces gravid Lucilia cuprina to oviposit on sheep. The base of the tail, the breech and pizzle areas of sheep are subjected to wetting by urine, faecal matter and diarrhea and are therefore particularly prone to infestation by Lucilia cuprina larvae.

The current procedure to prevent blowfly strike on the breech of sheep is "mulesing" which is the removal of wool and live skin from the breech and base of the tail which produces pain, is time consuming and labour intensive and has been banned in some countries because it is considered a cruel practice.

It would be desirable to provide a method and device which can carry and deliver pesticides and repellents to inhibit insects and ectoparasites from animals; to protect animals for prolonged periods of time preferably beyond one year against ectoparasites in particular the areas of the skin and fleece which become infested by Lucilia cuprina larvae and other ectoparasites including lice and itchmites; to protect pesticides within the device from degradation and loss due to ultraviolet light exposure and leaching; to reduce the loss of pesticide and prolong the effect of treatment; and to protect humans against direct contact with pesticides.

30 Prior art pesticidal devices include ear tags (Australian Patent specification AU-A-60621/86), and devices which are attached to the wool of the breech by means of velcro clips (Australian Patent specification AU-A-52259/86) and therefore do not deliver pesticide or provide protection against parasites to other areas subject to parasitic infestations such as the shoulders, back and pizzle.

II -4f The devices described in AU-A-52259/86 are not rechargeable and therefore need to be replaced from time to time. Replacement of devices can be time consuming and labour intensive.

The pesticidal devices of AU-A-52259/86 which attach to wool by means of velcro clips may tear off or detach from wool. Furthermore, such aevices cannot be attached to an animal if the hair and/or wool staple is too short to attach to velcro clips of the device onto the animal and consequently such a device could not be effectively attached to a sheep after shearing or to lambs with too short wool staples.

The pesticidal devices of both AU-A-52259/86 and AU-A-60621/86 are impregnated and/or coated with pesticide and therefore subject humans to direct contact with toxic pesticides. The pesticidal oo devices of AU-A-52259/86 and AU-A-60621/86 also deliver pesticides even when not required, for r .example during dry periods when flystrike does not Soccur, and are thus wasteful.

There is therefore a need for a pesticidal/insect repelling device which will attach and remain on an animal for sustained periods of time; to protect the t skin and wool of the shoulders, back, breech and pizzle in sheep against infestation by gravid Lucilia Scuprina flies and larvae and other ectoparasites including lice and itchmite.

The present invention broadly resides in a method of applying a pesticidal or insect repellent substance to an animal by fitting to the animal a flexible elongate member capable of releasing said substance onto the animal, in which the member is fitted to the animal as

V.:

a first loop extending around the neck, over the shoulders and along the back of the animal, and second and third loops each extending across the flank, breech and pizzle areas, around the front of a respective rear leg and across the back to fasten to the first loop on the back of the animal.

The device preferably stretches and contracts to adapt to changing dimensions of an animal. Preferably, the device releases the pesticidal/insect repellent substances upon stretching. Alternatively or in addition, the device releases the substances mostly on contact with water.

The device may dispense for sustained periods pesticidal substances and/or insect repellents to surface loci on sheep prone to blowfly strike by gravid Lucilia cuprina, other calliphorid larval infestation, lice and any other ectoparasite; to provide complete body protection against those pests.

Preferably, the substances are released over a sustained period of at least one year.

In one embodiment of the invention, the elongate member is coated or impregnated with the pesticidal or insect repellent substance. Alternatively, the elongate member is a tube adapted to contain the substance. The substance may be released through the tube wall which preferably has a coating material which absorbs and retains the substance released through the tube wall.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figs. 1, 1A, 2 and 3 are plan views of alternative *r I

CI

4 41 4w Is C I

D

Ri i, ij i t

.I

r -6pesticidal device configurations; Fig. 4 is a side view of the device of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 to 9 illustrate preferred fastening means for the device of Figs. 3 and 4; Figs. 10 to 15 illustrate preferred means for introducing pesticidal/insect repellent substances into the device; Figs. 16 and 17 are side and end sectional views respectively of a tube construction for use with the present invention; Figs. 18 and 19 are side and end sectional views respectively of an alternative tube construction for use with the present invention; ,o Figs. 20 and 21 illustrate the device of Figs. 3 and -°"009 4 when fitted on a sheep; and Figs. 23 and 24 illustrate a method of fitting the .0 device of Figs. 3 and 4 to a sheep.

S 6 Figs. 25 and 26 are plan and side views respectively j 6 of a modified pesticidal device for use in the i present invention.

Illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, is a device comprising a flexible tube 1 which may be joined end-to-end by a joining piece or clip 2 or may be continuous. The tube preferably is from 2 to 4 metres long, has an internal diameter of 1 to 6mm and an external diameter of 4 to 10mm. The tube preferably is black to inhibit the penetration of ultraviolet light.

I~~

The tube 1 is fastened at positions on the back of the animal by fasteners such as strips, glue or adhesive tape to secure the device around the legs and neck of the animal in the configurations shown.

The configurations comprise three loops, the first of which extends around the animal's neck and the latter two extend around the rear legs. The device may also include an extension strap or tube 9 which prevents rotation of the device on the animal.

The fastening arrangements are shown in more detail in Figs. 5 to 9. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the forwardmost fasteners 3, which may simply comprise a band extending around the two parallel sections la of tube. Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show the rearmost fastener 4 from above, below and the side respectively. This fastener attaches the two parallel sections la of tube by means of two bands which are joined by a saddle portion which secures the transverse section of tube lb.

Referring now to Figs. 10 to 15, the tube 1 may be r

;A

_U

t a I _II_ -8filled with pesticidal/insect repellent substances through an open end of the tube or through an inlet duct 5a. The substance may be in a liquid, powder, gaseous or solid form.

In Fig. 10, the tube is joined by a clip or band 2a and the substance may be introduced through inlet duct 5a. One-way check valves 6 in the tube 1 allow liquids to flow only in the direction from the inlet duct 5a to outlet duct Figs. 11 and 12 show a tube which is joined by a joining piece 2b. The substance may be introduced into the tube through the joining piece into an end of the tube.

In Figs. 13 and 14, the inlet and/or outlet ducts may be L-shaped members which are introduced through holes in the tube wall to communicate with the internal cavity of the tube. In Fig. 15, the inlet and outlet ducts are formed in plugs in the tube wall.

The tube is preferably sealed, except when the ducts 5a, 5b and/or the valves 6 are open, to protect the pesticidal/insect repellent substances from degradation by exposure to air.

Figs. 16 and 17 are cross-sectional views of a tube construction specially adapted to release pesticides/insect repellents in a liquid formulation onto the surface of an animal. The tube wall contains perforations 7 through which a small quantity of liquid is released. The rate of release is increased upon stretching of the tube wall. The tube wall has a coating material 8 which absorbs .and retains the pesticidal/insect repellent substances '4 -9released through the wall. The coating 8 should preferably be provided at least at the lowest point of the device when fitted on an animal to absorb the substance in the reservoir tube 1 at the lowest part of the device so that all pesticide/insect repellent in the device is utilised.

Preferably, the active ingredients of the pesticidal/insect repellent substances are emulsified and diluted in the presence of water, and the coating 8 releases the substances mostly upon contact with water. This allows the device to dispense the substances mostly during rain periods to inhibit oviposition and larval infestation by Lucilia cuprina.

Suitable coating material which release active ingredients in the presence of water include dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), lauryl sulphate, fatty acids and their potassium salts.

Figs. 18 and 19 illustrate a tube construction suitable for use with a solid insect inhibitor such as camphor, naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene. The tube wall is permeable, perforated or porous to release the volatile gases which are given off by the solid insect inhibitor.

The device may be impregnated, coated and/or filled with any combination of pesticidal or insect repellent substances and/or any inhibitor of insect feeding, moulting or growth. Suitable examples include fatty acids, anti-oxidants, extracts from the seeds or kernels of the neem tree and other meliaceous plants containing azadirachtin an insect growth regulator (see Complete Patent Specifications 75714/87, 11221/88, 11220/88, 87896/88 and Provisional Specification PI 9891), aromatic esters, organic 4 amides, natural oils, aromatic esters, an amidine, a r64, 7 iirii---r IIcarbamate, a thiourea, any acid, camphor, naphthalene, any triazine or cyromazine, para-di-chlorbenzene, benzyl benzoate, di-n-propyl isochomeronate, dimethylm, carbate, dimethyl phthalate, N-butylacetanilide, N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, citrus oils, citronella oil, pine oil, methylnonyl ketone, 2octylthioethanol, 3:4,5-bis(2-butylene)-tetrahydro-2furfural, permethrin, cypermethrin, tetramethrin, decamethrin, pyrethrin, resmethrin, biosresmethrin, cyhalothrin, fenvalerate, piperonyl butoxide, stiforos, naled, carbaryl, dichlorvos, deltamethryn, permetryn, phenothrin, cyfluthryn, cyphenothryn, traomethrin, tralocethrin, cyhalothrin, flumethrin, cypermethrin, organic and inorganic acids.

Figs. 20 and 21 illustrate the device when fitted on a sheep in accordance with the method of the present invention. The tube is fitted as a first loop which extends around the neck, over the shoulder and along the back of the sheep. Second and third loops each extend across the flank, breech and pizzle areas, around the front of a rear leg and across the back.

Optionally, an extension 9 between the second and third loops also contacts the pizzle area of the 25 sheep.

Figs. 23 and 24 illustrate the preferred method of fitting the device to a sheep. The second and third loops are each passed over a rear leg and the first loop is passed over the head as shown by the arrows in Fig. 23. This brings the second and third loops into contact with the flank, breech and pizzle areas. As shown in Fig. 24, the device is then positioned to pass on each side of the base of the tail.

Figs. 25 and 26 illustrate a modified device which includes concertina sections 10 which increase i:i i 1/ /:4

M

i

I

I k -11ability of the device to stretch and also increase the surface area of insecticidal activity on the animal. As shown in Fig. 26, these concertina sections may be positioned adjacent the shoulders and flank of the animal. By way of example only, the device may have a length of 4.5 metres and be capable of stretching a further 1.7 metres, and have an outer diameter of 5mm and an internal diameter of 3mm. The device may have a total weight when filled of about 110 grams and a capacity of about 60ml, with a release rate of about 0.30ml/day.

Trials of the present invention indicate that the device may remain positioned in contact with the skin and fleece of sheep for periods in excess of one year, and that animals with the device are not infested by lucilia cuprina larvae, lice or itchmites. Furthermore, the device did not irritate the skin nor inhibit wool growth, movement, pregnancy or coitus in sheep.

44 4 4 4, 44 0~ 0( rr cr r r

Claims

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the second and third loops are each placed around a respective rear leg and drawn upwardly, and the first loop is passed over the head of the animal.
3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the elongate member is stretchable to accommodate growth and 444* movement of the animal.
4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the elongate member is adapted to release the substance upon stretching. A method according to claim 1 wherein the elongate a member is impregnated or coated with the pesticidal or insect repellent substance.
6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the elongate member comprises a tube adapted to contain the substance.
7. A method according to claim 5 or 6 wherein the device gradually releases the substance over a period -13- of time.
8. A method according to claim 7 wherein the dtvice releases the substance over a period of at least one year.
9. A method according to claim 7 wherein the substance is released at a greater rate when the elongate member is in contact with wet fur, hair or fleece. A method according to claim 6 wherein the substance is released through the wall of the tube.
11. A method according to claim 6 or 10 wherein the tube may be refilled with the substance.
12. A method according to claim 10 wherein the tube wall is also impregnated with the substance. o o S: 13. A method according to claim 10 wherein the tube r*, wall is adapted to protect the substance from ultraviolet radiation. n* o S"14. A method according to claim 10 wherein the tube wall is porous and/or perforated. r0 15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the 0 substance is released upon stretching of the tube I o wall.
16. A method according to claim 14 or 15 wherein the outer surface of the tube wall has a coating material which absorbs and retains the substance released through the tube wall. i' 17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the I-, -14- coating material releases the substance at a greater rate when in contact with water.
18. A method of applying a substance to an animal substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 28th day of July 1992 VINCENT HENRY GUERRINI Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: HALFORD CO I *0 t t 0 C