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Effect of the Topical Repellent para-Menthane-3,8-diol on Blood Feeding Behavior and Fecundity of the Dengue Virus Vector Aedes aegypti.
Effect of the Topical Repellent para-Menthane-3,8-diol on Blood Feeding Behavior and Fecundity of the Dengue Virus Vector Aedes aegypti.
- Source :
-
Insects (2075-4450) . Jun2018, Vol. 9 Issue 2, p60. 1p. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Dengue fever is an acute disease caused by the dengue virus and transmitted primarily by the mosquito <italic>Aedes aegypti</italic>. The current strategy for dengue prevention is vector control including the use of topical repellents to reduce mosquito biting. Although <italic>N</italic>,<italic>N</italic>-diethyl-m-methylbenzamide (DEET) is the most common active ingredient in topical repellent products, para-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD) is also used commercially. Studies have indicated PMD reduced biting by 90–95% for up to 6–8 h, similar to the efficacy of DEET, depending on the testing environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the behavioral effects of PMD on <italic>Ae. aegypti</italic> blood feeding and fecundity to explore the potential impact of PMD on downstream mosquito life-history traits. Two experiments were performed. In both experiments, cohorts of female <italic>Ae. aegypti</italic> (Belize strain) were exposed to 20% PMD or ethanol for 10 min in a closed system and introduced to an artificial membrane feeding system. Following a 30min feed time, mosquitoes of Experiment 1 were killed and weighed as a proxy measure of blood meal, whereas mosquitoes of Experiment 2 were monitored for oviposition, a measure of fecundity. Results showed a statistically significant reduction (<italic>p</italic> < 0.001) in the percentage of <italic>Ae. aegypti</italic> that blood-fed when exposed to PMD (38%) compared to those non-exposed (49%). No significant difference in fecundity between test populations was indicated. These findings suggest that exposure of <italic>Ae. aegypti</italic> to 20% PMD may influence the probability of subsequent blood feeding but of those mosquitoes that do blood feed, egg-lay density is not affected. Further studies are warranted to investigate the full range of effects of PMD exposure on other <italic>Ae. aegypti</italic> life-history traits such as mating, to continue characterizing the potential effects of PMD to impact overall vector population dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *AEDES aegypti
*DENGUE viruses
*INSECT baits & repellents
*INSECT food
*TOLUAMIDES
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20754450
- Volume :
- 9
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Insects (2075-4450)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 130476361
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/insects9020060