Testing In Laboratory Animal Models For Ectoparasiticide Discovery And Development

Animal models are commonly used in drug discovery for the identification of novel ectoparasiticides but few are disclosed in detail. They can be important selection tools in early phases of chemistry optimization, when compound availability and information on toxicity are very limited. Most models have been designed using ticks and fleas, mainly due to their direct medical and veterinary importance but also as good general representatives of acari and insects. This review summarizes and describes laboratory rodent and rabbit models currently available for compound evaluation. Some models developed for other purposes are also mentioned because they could be easily adapted to drug discovery. Important parameters to take into account when establishing models with ectoparasites are also presented, such as choice of surrogate host, parasite confinement and recovery, and group size.