Experimental ivermectin treatment of sarcoptic mange and establishment of a mange-free population of Spanish ibex

Ivermectin was used to treat sarcoptic mange in Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenai ca hispanica). Its therapeutic effectiveness was analyzed when it was admin istered through subcutaneous injection, to sick animals in the consolidatio n stage of mange (third phase) and, with double injections to chronically a ffected animals (fourth phase) at a dosage of 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg body weight (bw). Three wk after treatment, the animals in the third phase of mange tre ated with a high dose (0.4 mg/kg bw) of ivermectin were completely cured. T he same result was achieved after 4 wk of treatment in those animals in pha se 3 of mange when 0.2 mg/kg body weight was used. Double injection with iv ermectin, even at high doses, did not guarantee the complete cure of all ca ses of sarcoptic mange in the chronic stage (phase 4); only three of six an imals were free of Sarcoptes scabiei. The second experiment consisted on th e application of a sanitation program in order to obtain a population of Sp anish ibex free from S. scabiei, starting with free-ranging animals, some o f them healthy and others sick. After capture the animals were classified a s chronically ill, in which case they were excluded from the program, mite carriers and healthy specimens. ALI the animals were treated first topicall y with foxim (500 mg/l) and subcutaneously with ivermectin (0.4 mg/kg bw). The infected animals were housed in the treatment pen, and received two dos es of ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg bw) at an interval of 15 days, then spent 15 da ys in the quarantine pen, where they received a further dose before they we re included in the pool of healthy animals, and immediately were placed in the quarantine phase. The sanitation we implemented was fully effective in curing the affliction of Spanish ibex affected by S. scabiei.