Repellency of 29 Synthetic and Natural Commercial Topical Insect Repellents Against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Central Mexico

• Published in: Journal of medical entomology Vol. 54; no. 5; pp. 1305 - 1311
• Main Authors: Kuri-Morales, Pablo A., Correa-Morales, Fabián, González-Acosta, Cassandra, Sánchez-Tejeda, Gustavo, Moreno-Garcia, Miguel, Dávalos-Becerril, Eduardo, Juárez-Franco, Marissa F., Benitez-Alva, José Ismael, González-Roldán, Jesús F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Entomological Society of America 01.09.2017; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Aedes; Aedes aegypti; Animals; Aquatic insects; Biting; Central Mexico; Culicidae; Decision making; DEET; Dengue fever; essential oil; Female; Insect bites; Insect Bites and Stings - prevention & control; Insect Repellents; Insects; Landing; Mexico; mosquito control; Mosquito Vectors; Mosquitoes; Repellency; repellent; Repellents; VECTOR CONTROL, PEST MANAGEMENT, RESISTANCE, REPELLENTS; Vector-borne diseases; Mexico; Central Mexico; mosquito control; repellent; essential oil; Aedes aegypti
• ISSN: 0022-2585; 1938-2928
• DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjx076

In Mexico, the use of repellents to prevent insects from landing and biting is a common practice. However, variation in the efficiency of natural and synthetic repellents has been observed. In this study, we evaluated the repellency and protection time of 16 synthetic and 13 natural-based commercial products against Aedes aegypti (L.) from an endemic dengue area (Jojutla, Morelos) in Central Mexico. The “arm exposure” cage test was used to assess the efficacy of the repellents. Tests were conducted by three adult volunteers. Results showed that DEET (N, N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) repellents provided the highest protection and duration times against Ae. aegypti. However, low repellency and short-time protection was observed (when compared with the manufacturers' protection times). Natural-based products did not repel (either landing or biting) mosquitoes for >30 min. These results show that most of the repellent products did not provide satisfactory levels of personal protection against mosquito bites. Frequent reapplication of repellents (synthetic and natural-based) may compensate for their short duration of action. Repellent efficacy data must be integrated into the decision-making process for an optimal response to the local (or specific region) situation.