A systematic review of moxidectin as a treatment for parasitic infections in mammalian species

Moxidectin (MOX) is a macrocyclic lactone approved worldwide for the treatment of both endo- and ecto-parasites in many mammalian species. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of MOX as a treatment against parasites in a range of mammalian species. An electronic literature search was performed for publications to the 1 st September 2020. A total of 205 papers were retrieved and screened against all required criteria; hence, 35 were papers were reviewed in this study. The level of evidence and methodological quality was analysed, where a total of 13 publications were categorised as a ‘randomised control trial’, seven were categorised as a ‘non-randomised control trial’ and 15 as an ‘experimental control trial’. The overall methodological quality of the publications was considered low, low to moderate, moderate, moderate to high and high in ten, four, twelve, five and a further four, respectively. We assessed the treatment and possible toxicity of MOX in 13 mammalian species, six investigations reported adverse effects to MOX in a small percentage of individuals. The authors reported observed reactions that were typically mild symptoms that did not require additional therapies, and/or resolved themselves. Further studies are needed to assess the efficacy of MOX treatment in a larger number of species, particularly in wildlife.