Active ingredients
The three main active ingredients in Neomycin are neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B sulfate, and bacitracin zinc.One of the main components is neomycin sulfate, which is a type of antibiotic discovered in 1949 by microbiologist Selman Waksman at Rutgers University. Neomycin belongs to the aminoglycoside class of antibiotics and fights against Gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The antibiotic is often used to prevent risk of bacterial infections. Aminoglycosides work by binding to bacterial RNA and changing the ability to produce proteins while exerting little to no effect on DNA. Thus, neomycin kills bacteria as a result of irregular protein production in the bacterial cell. When the cell can no longer produce the correct proteins, its membrane becomes damaged. As a result of damaged membrane, the affected bacterial cells die, and the infection is prevented or limited.Like neomycin, polymyxin B is an antibiotic. Polymyxin B forms holes in the bacterial cell wall causing the internal cellular components to leak out, resulting in cell death. Pramoxine is used to temporarily reduce pain from burns, insect bites, and minor cuts. It works like an anesthetic by decreasing the permeability of neuron membranes. As a result, pain neurons in the area have difficulty sending signals (or signals are blocked entirely), resulting in numbness.In some countries bacitracin is replaced with gramicidin. History
There is no exact date as to when the antibacterial ointment was invented, but it was used as early as the 1950s. This antibiotic ointment was patented in the United States on August 27, 1951.
It was originally thought that because the mite is a normal inhabitant of the dogs skin, the presence of the mites does not conclusively mean the dog has demodicosis. Recent research, however, found that the demodex mite is rarely found on clinically normal dogs, meaning that the presence of any number of mites in a sample is very likely to be significant. In breeds such as the West Highland White Terrier, relatively minor skin irritation which would otherwise be considered allergy should be carefully scraped because of the predilection of these dogs to demodectic mange. Skin scrapings may be used to follow the progress of treatment in demodectic mange. Alternatively, plasma levels of zinc and copper have been seen to be decreased in dogs with demodicosis. This may be due to inflammation involved in the immune response of demodicosis which can lead to oxidative stress, resulting in dogs with demodicosis to exhibit higher levels of antioxidant productivity. The catalases involved in the antioxidant pathway require the trace minerals zinc and copper. Dogs with demodicosis show a decrease in plasma copper and zinc levels due to the increased demand for antioxidant activity. Therefore, this may be considered as a potential marker for demodicosis. Treatment
Dogs
Localized demodectic mange is considered a common puppyhood ailment, with roughly 90% of cases resolving on their own with no treatment. Minor, localized cases should be left to resolve on their own to prevent masking of the more severe generalized form.