Assessing the efficacy of candidate mosquito repellents against the background of an attractive source that mimics a human host
Autor(es): Menger, D. J.; Van Loon, J. J. A.; Takken, W.
Resumo: Mosquito repellents are used around the globe to protect against nuisance biting and disease-transmitting mosquitoes. Recently, there has been renewed interest in the development of repellents as tools to control the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. We present a new bioassay for the accurate assessment of candidate repellent compounds, using a synthetic odour that mimics the odour blend released by human skin. Using DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) and PMD (p-menthane-3,8-diol) as reference compounds, nine candidate repellents were tested, of which five showed significant repellency to the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (Diptera: Culicidae). These included: 2-nonanone; 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one; linalool; delta -decalactone, and delta -undecalactone. The lactones were also tested on the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti (Stegomyia aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae), against which they showed similar degrees of repellency. We conclude that the lactones are highly promising repellents, particularly because these compounds are pleasant-smelling, natural products that are also present in human food sources.
Palavras-Chave: Disease control; Public health; DEET; Yellow fever; Malaria; Natural products; Lactones;Aedes aegypti; Culicidae; Diptera; Anopheles gambiae
Imprenta: Medical and Veterinary Entomology, v. 28, n. 4, p. 407-413, 2014.
Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Transmission ; Aedes aegypti - Repellent ; Aedes aegypti - Public health
Data de publicação: 2014
