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Capsules CONTINUED Flea Infestations: Turn On the Light Eliminating fleas from an infested area is a daunting challenge. Chemical control agents have been effective, but for a variety of reasons, interest has been spurred to develop efficient flea traps that can match the efficiency of chemical controls. The current study examined 4 commercially available flea traps for their efficacy in both laboratory and field environments. Each of the 4 traps used light as the attractant and glue paper to capture the fleas, although light spectra and height varied. One trap used 2 intermittent narrow-spectra LEDs as the light source, while the other 3 traps used a continuous 7-watt type-A light bulb. The height of the light sources from the ground ranged from 5 to 25 cm. The results from both laboratory and field studies demonstrated that the trap utilizing intermittent light was significantly more effective than any of the 3 continuous light traps, and continuous lighting significantly reduced the number of fleas trapped. Trapping efficiency was significantly increased by adding a green filter to the light source, while the addition of a heat source had no apparent effect. moving past a light source. Thus, the intermittent light source seems to stimulate the natural host-finding behavior of fleas. Whatever the reason, clinicians should recommend intermittent light flea traps to clients who seek alternative ways to eliminate flea infestation in their homes.—Carly Jordan, PhD Commentary Source The results of this study clearly show that intermittent light is superior to continuous light for the purposes of trapping the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. In all trials, the intermittent light trap significantly outperformed the others, trapping up to 23 times as many fleas. Researchers have speculated that the intermittent light source mimics sudden changes in light levels that fleas may experience when potential hosts are Understanding attraction stimuli of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, in non-chemical control methods. Müller GC, Dryden MW, Revay EE, et al. MED VET ENTOMOL 25:413-420, 2011. http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/ Vaccine Solution to Soft Tissue Sarcoma? Soft tissue sarcomas, which arise from nonbony connective tissues and may appear in visceral and nonvisceral sites, account for approximately 15% of all skin and SC tumors in dogs. Osteosarcoma accounts for approximately 85% of primary bone cancers in dogs and is a common cancer of large to giant breeds. Commentary This study evaluated combination suicide gene therapy with immunotherapy using cytokine-enhanced vaccine and canine interferon-β (cIFN-β) with the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSVtk) suicide gene for 11 dogs with soft tissue sarcoma and 5 dogs with osteosarcoma. The treatment was used alone in 4 dogs and as a surgery adjuvant in 12 dogs. The patients received an allogeneic vaccine or an autologous vaccine plus cytokine-producing cells. Multiple injections of lipidcomplexed cIFN-β/suicide genes were administered directly into tumors or infiltrated in and around the residual tumor Cancer cells, by definition, contain several genetic mutations that alter protein expression and composition. Subsequently, they are no longer considered “self ” and are thus a potential target of the immune system. Immune therapy seeks to exploit these mutations to help the immune system more effectively eradicate cancer cells. Based on the small sample size, there seemed to be clinical benefit when treating soft tissue sarcomas. However, most of the dogs also were treated initially with surgery, but details regarding the completeness of excision were not provided for most. Clinical benefit against canine osteosarcoma was not clearly demonstrated. Caution must be mass or surgical margin after surgery. The treatments were well tolerated and prevented or delayed local relapse, regional metastases, and distant metastases. Ten of the patients survived more than a year with good quality of life. used when assessing the clinical efficacy of immune therapy. Based on our experience with the canine melanoma vaccine, it can take months for the immune system to mount an adequate response. During that time, the tumor can progress without the therapy truly failing. Ideally, this study should have provided some assessment of immune response (perhaps this will follow in future studies). Ultimately, immune therapy is generally most effective as an adjunct with other treatments that first eliminate as much measurable disease as possible.—Dennis Bailey, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) Source Cytokine-enhanced vaccine and interferon-β plus suicide gene as combined therapy for spontaneous canine sarcomas. Finocchiaro LME, Villaverde MS, GilCardeza ML, et al. RES VET SCI 91:230234, 2011. CoNtiNues 3 ....................................................................................................................................................................................NAVC Clinician’s Brief / March 2012 / Capsules