Drug Research Information Bulletin - The Safety of SLICE® (0.2% Emamectin Benzoate) Administered in Feed to Rainbow Trout Fingerlings

The active component of SLICE® is 0.2% emamectin benzoate (EB). When SLICE® is administered in feed to fish, EB is absorbed from the fish’s gut and distributed to a variety of it’s tissues. When sea lice (or other parasitic crustaceans) feed on the skin, mucus, blood, and muscle of fish, EB is taken into the tissues of the parasite. The EB then binds to ion channels of nerve cells and disrupts transmission of nerve impulses, which results in paralysis and death of the parasite. Furthermore, EB is slowly metabolized by fish, resulting in protection from sea lice that extends up to 9 weeks after treatment has been completed (Stone et al. 2000c).