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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #318746

Research Project: Prevention of Arthropod Bites

Location: Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory

Title: Avoidance behavior to essential oils by Anopheles minimus, a malaria vector in Thailand

Author
item NARARAK, JIROD - Kasetsart University
item SATHANTRIPHOP, SUNAIYANA - Kasetsart University
item Chauhan, Kamlesh
item CHAREONVIRIYAPHAP, THEERAPHAP - Kasetsart University

Submitted to: Journal of Vector Ecology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2016
Publication Date: 3/3/2016
Citation: Nararak, J., Sathantriphop, S., Chauhan, K.R., Chareonviriyaphap, T. 2016. Avoidance behavior to essential oils by Anopheles minimus, a malaria vector in Thailand. Journal of Vector Ecology. 32(1):34-43.

Interpretive Summary: Evaluation of potential repellent compounds against mosquito vectors of diseases is time consuming and often involves animal or human subjects. We have developed a laboratory modular assay system that can screen candidate compounds without involving human subjects or animals. This assay system is compact in size and only requires small amounts of the test compound. These results from compact assay system supports previous field studies which show that human contact and disease transmission by mosquitoes are interrupted by public health insecticides and repellents. This information can be used by scientists in the private and public sectors that are interested in developing and testing potential biobased repellents.

Technical Abstract: Excito-repellency tests were used to characterize behavioral responses of laboratory colonized Anopheles minimus, a malaria vector in Thailand, using four essential oils, citronella (Cymbopogom nadus), hairy basil (Ocimum americanum), sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum), vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides), and DEET as the standard repellent. For each compound tests were conducted at the concentrations 0.5, 1, 2.5, and 5%. Anopheles minimus displayed greater escape response from direct contact with treated surfaces for all test compounds compared to noncontact repellency exposures. Citronella displayed the best irritant and repellent effects against An. minimus with the minimal concentration while hairy basil and vetiver provided irritant and repellent effects at 2.5 and 5%, respectively. From this study, all four essential oils are promising potential mosquito repellent products for protection against female mosquitoes.