Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites
Autor(es): Fradin, MS; Day, JF
Resumo: The worldwide threat of arthropod-transmitted diseases, with their associated morbidity and mortality, underscores the need for effective insect repellents. Multiple chemical, botanical, and ``alternative'' repellent products are marketed to consumers. We sought to determine which products available in the United States provide reliable and prolonged complete protection from mosquito bites.Methods: We conducted studies involving 15 volunteers to test the relative efficacy of seven botanical insect repellents; four products containing N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, now called N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET); a repellent containing IR3535 (ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate); three repellent-impregnated wristbands; and a moisturizer that is commonly claimed to have repellent effects. These products were tested in a controlled laboratory environment in which the species of the mosquitoes, their age, their degree of hunger, the humidity, the temperature, and the light-dark cycle were all kept constant.Results: DEET-based products provided complete protection for the longest duration. Higher concentrations of DEET provided longer-lasting protection. A formulation containing 23.8 percent DEET had a mean complete-protection time of 301.5 minutes. A soybean-oil-based repellent protected against mosquito bites for an average of 94.6 minutes. The IR3535-based repellent protected for an average of 22.9 minutes. All other botanical repellents we tested provided protection for a mean duration of less than 20 minutes. Repellent-impregnated wristbands offered no protection.Conclusions: Currently available non-DEET repellents do not provide protection for durations similar to those of DEET-based repellents and cannot be relied on to provide prolonged protection in environments where mosquito-borne diseases are a substantial threat. (N Engl J Med 2002;347:13-8.)
Palavras-Chave: 3 Climatic regimens; Human volunteers; N,N-Diethyl-M-Toluamide deet; Aedes aegypti; Formulations; Vectors; Safety
Imprenta: New England Journal of Medicine, v. 347, n. 1, p. 13-18, 2002
Identificador do objeto digital: 10.1056/NEJMoa011699
Descritores: Aedes aegypti - Repellent ; Aedes aegypti - Public health
Data de publicação: 2002
