Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308233
Title: Bite protection analysis of permethrin-treated U.S. Military uniforms

Author
item Bernier, Ulrich
item PERRY, MELYNDA - Natick Soldier Center
item JOHNSON, AMY - Natick Soldier Center

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Historically, combat casualties from diseases have greatly outnumbered battle injuries received from actual combat during military operations. Since 1951, United States military combat uniforms have been treated within insecticides to protect personnel from arthropod attack. In the 1970s and 1980s, permethrin was selected as the best uniform treatment and in 1991, it became the standard treatment for US military combat uniforms. In 2007 the U.S. Marine Corps transitioned from treatment with permethrin in the field to factory treatment of their 50/50 nylon/cotton Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniforms (MCCUUs). The US Army transitioned to factory treatment of uniforms in 2009. Over the past few years, an increasing proportion of combat uniforms are constructed from fabric comprised of nylon, rayon and fire resistant materials such as para-aramid or meta-aramid. These uniforms cannot be treated with permethrin in the field and must therefore be treated at the factory level. Studies are conducted using female Aedes aegypti and An. albimanus mosquitoes. Approximately two hundred females of each species are placed separately cages after being pre-selected for host-seeking avidity. Volunteers glove their hands and wear sleeves constructed from uniform material on their arms. Their arms are inserted into the cages mosquitoes for 15 min. At the conclusion of each test, blooded mosquitoes are counted. Untreated control sleeves are tested to establish a control bite through rate. Bite protection results are corrected for control bite through rate through a calculation according to Abbott’s formula. The bite protection ability of permethrin-treated uniforms is influenced by a number of factors beyond the ratio of the permethrin isomers. The openness of the weave of the uniform as measured by air permeability is a significant factor which influences the overall bite protection ability. Other factors include whether the fabric is of twill or ripstop construction and the relative amount of binder to permethrin which is incorporated during the treatment process. The older 50/50 Nylon/Cotton MCCUUs and Army Combat Uniforms (ACUs) were of tighter weave and therefore better at bite protection. Newer enhanced Fire Resistant Combat Ensemble (EFRCE) and US Army Fire Resistant Army Combat Uniform (FRACU) and FRACU type III are comprised of synthetics and therefore require more open weave. This diminishes slightly their ability to prevent bites. Incorporation of permethrin in the fabric significantly reduces the probability that a mosquito can bite through combat uniforms and less permeable uniforms provide better bite protection.