| Title: | Assessing the efficacy of candidate mosquito repellents against the background of an attractive source that mimics a human host |
| Author(s): | Menger DJ; van Loon JJ; Takken W; |
| Address: | "Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, the Netherlands" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1365-2915 (Electronic) 0269-283X (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "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" |
| Keywords: | Aedes/*drug effects Animals Anopheles/*drug effects Humans Insect Repellents/*pharmacology Odorants Aedes aegypti (Stegomyia aegypti) Anopheles gambiae behaviour bioassay repellent semiochemical; |
| Notes: | "MedlineMenger, D J Van Loon, J J A Takken, W eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2014/05/07 Med Vet Entomol. 2014 Dec; 28(4):407-13. doi: 10.1111/mve.12061. Epub 2014 May 6" |
