Repellents and other personal protection strategies against Aedes albopictus

Abstract

Five chemical repellents, a controlled-release repellent formulation, Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil and permethrin-impregnated clothing fabric were assayed for personal protection against bites of Aedes albopictus. On skin the chemical repellents provided significant (P = 0.05) protection from biting; however, Ae. albopictus was more sensitive to the repellents than the standard, Ae. aegypti. Two experimental repellents provided 6-7 h protection from bites, 25% deet in ethanol provided greater than 8 h protection, a controlled-release formulation containing 35% deet provided greater than 10 h protection, and the Avon product provided 0.64 h protection from bites. Permethrin-treated fabric provided complete protection from mosquito bites through 0-5 washings. Repellent products containing greater than or equal to 12% deet should provide satisfactory protection against Ae. albopictus; the use of permethrin-impregnated clothing should provide additional protection.