Flea infestation is the most common ectoparasitic condition of dogs and cats in North America (Rust and Dryden 1997). Fleas are also the most common parasites found on cats and dogs along the coast of Southern Africa (Briggs 1986), are a common external parasite of dogs and cats in Ireland (Baker and Elharam 1992) and possess a cosmopolitan distribution (see Tables 3A and 3B).

This wide distribution and the fact that fleas are major nuisance pests (Dryden and Rust 1994), a matter of public health and the source of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), one of the most common causes for the presentation of dogs to the veterinarian, make control definitely necessary.

But control of the flea on pets and in the environment can be expensive, time consuming and often frustrating (Dryden and Smith 1994). The annual expenditures by pet owners for flea control products in the United States exceed $ 1 billion (Conniff 1995). And apart from expenditures on control measures, flea-related diseases account for over 50% of the dermatological cases reported to veterinarians and 35% of their total effort (Bevier-Tournay 1989; Kwochka 1987).

This data emphasizes the necessity of an effective flea control if only from the economical point of view. Market surveys in Animal Health companies showed that the ectoparasiticide market in companion animals was estimated to be around 1,1 billion Euro. This is about 30% of the total Companion Animal Market, while the total Animal Health Market is around 3,7 billion Euro. The market is dominated by the two major continents North America with a market share of around 70% and of 20% in Western Europe.

The distribution of the ectoparasiticide market into the animal species dogs, cats and horses is given in Fig. 4.

Fig 4: Ectoparasiticide market in companion animals in 1999 by species and region  Click the picture to enlarge