A faecal sample from each dog was collected and examined for C. boehmi eggs using a qualitative copromicroscopic concentration-flotation procedure with a sugar solution with 1.200 specific gravity (s.g.) ( Sloss et al., 1994). The eggs of C. boehmi were identified on the basis of the following morphological and morphometric features: size 55.30 ± 1.30 × 32.40 ± 2.60 μm, a typical space between the embryo and the wall, asymmetry of the non-ringed plugs and the appearance of the egg shell characterized by several tiny pits ( Di SB431542 molecular weight Cesare et al., 2012a). All dogs which scored positive for eggs of C. boehmi ( Fig. 1) at this

qualitative copromicroscopical screening were submitted to confirmatory rhinoscopy to demonstrate the presence of the parasite in situ and/or

to nasal flushing. If the owners did not consent the rhinoscopic procedure, a confirmatory species-specific PCR-coupled sequencing assay was used on the faecal samples. Briefly, the genomic DNA was extracted from each faecal sample and then subjected to a PCR assay specific for the mitochondrial cox1 gene Capillariinae Subfamily TSA HDAC concentration as described previously ( Di Cesare et al., 2012b). Additionally, DNA extracted from three adult specimens of C. boehmi microscopically identified at the species level was subjected to the aforementioned PCR ( Di Cesare et al., 2012b). The amplicons from both the adults and faecal eggs were sequenced and the sequences were compared with each other. Dogs treated within the last two months with any anthelmintic drug, affected by severe systemic diseases or in generally poor health were excluded from the trial. Of the 287 dogs, 19 scored positive in copromicroscopy and rhinoscopy/confirmatory

PCR, and 16 were enrolled in the study with the owner’s consent. The enrolled dogs consisted of nine privately owned animals and seven kennelled dogs of variable breed and gender with an age ranging from 1.5 to 10 years and weighing between 13.5 and 45 kg. The dogs underwent two quantitative faecal egg counts Thymidine kinase (FECs) using a McMaster technique (Sloss et al., 1994) on Days -6 and -2 to ensure that a pre-existing C. boehmi infection was still present at the time of treatment. At the same time as the faecal samples were obtained, a pre-treatment clinical examination was conducted to detect symptoms compatible with nasal capillariosis. An individual form was completed for each dog to record its medical history and clinical data. The 16 dogs were allocated to two different study groups, i.e. Group T treated with Advocate® and the control Group C left untreated, according to a randomized block design in a ratio of 1:1. Dogs in Group T were treated topically on Day 0 with a single dose of Advocate®, with a second treatment planned for those which were still positive for C. boehmi eggs on Day 28 ± 2.