Mediation of deet repellency in mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) by species, age, and parity

Abstract

Laboratory bioassays assessed differences in the protection time provided by the repellent deet (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) against 5-d-old nulliparous and 10-, 15-, and 20-d-old nulliparous and parous female Aedes aegypti (L.), Anopheles albimanus (Weidemann), and Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say sensu lato. Mean protection time was shortest against An. albimanus (1.6 h) and An. quadrimaculatus (1.5 h) and longest against Ae. aegypti (6.5 h), but was not significantly influenced by mosquito age or parity. Mean percentage of biting at repellent failure time was highest in An. albimanus (14.2%), followed by An. quadrimaculatus (7.0%) and Ae. aegypti (2.9%), was higher in parous females (10.8%) than in nulliparous females (5.9%), and was highest overall (35%) in 20-d-old parous An. albimanus. Interaction between mosquito species and parity and between parity and age factors, respectively, resulted from a significant decrease in percentage of biting by parous An. quadrimaculatus compared with other females, and a significant increase in biting by 20-d-old parous females compared with other females. The main finding of this study is that repellent protection time is unaffected by parity; this is important because parous mosquitoes are the primary target of personal-protection measures in disease-endemic areas. When repellent failure did occur, there was a higher risk of bite by old, parous An. albimanus than for any other species, age, or parity grouping of females.