In vitro efficacy of moxidectin versus ivermectin against Sarcoptes scabiei

Abstract

Moxidectin is under consideration for development as a treatment for human scabies. As some arthropods show decreased sensitivity to moxidectin relative to ivermectin, it was important to assess this for Sarcoptes scabiei. In vitro assays showed that the concentration of moxidectin required to kill 50% of mites was lower than that of ivermectin (0.5 μM versus 1.8 μM at 24 h; P < 0.0001). This finding provides further support for moxidectin as a candidate for the treatment of human scabies.