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Title: SUPPRESSION OF MOSQUITO AND BLACK FLY BLOOD FEEDING FROM HEREFORD CATTLE AND PONIES TREATED WITH PERMETHRIN

Author
item Schmidtmann, Edward
item LLOYD, J. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item Bobian, Ronald
item KUMAR,, R. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item WAGGONER, JR., J. - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING
item TABACHNICK, WALTER - FL MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY LAB
item LEGG, DAVID - UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING

Submitted to: Journal of Medical Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/26/2001
Publication Date: 9/3/2001
Citation: Schmidtmann, E.T., Lloyd, J.E., Bobian, R.J., Kumar, R., Waggoner, Jr., J.W., Tabachnick, W.J., Legg, D. 2001. Suppression of mosquito and black fly blood feeding from hereford cattle and ponies treated with permethrin. Journal of Medical Entomology.

Interpretive Summary: Cattle and ponies were treated with over-the-counter products containing the fast-acting insecticide permethrin as a test of whether treatment would protect livestock against blood- feeding insects. The results show that several species of mosquitoes and black flies attracted to treated animals were strongly repelled and most insects did not blood-feed. At 4 days after rtreatment, two mosquito species were repelled by 79 and 88 %, and two blac fly species were repelled by 96 and 99 %. Blood-feeding by these insects was reduced by 60 to 80 percent after 11 days. A permethrin fly wipe protected ponies from feeding black flies for up to a week after treatment. Given the strong repellency activity of permethrin, a predictive model was developed and used to show that treatment of livestock with permethrin can be useful as a method for helping to protect animals from feeding insects that carry pathogens that cause diseases.

Technical Abstract: The blood-feeding of mosquitoes and black flies from Hereford cattle and ponies treated with commercial formulations of permethrin was evaluated using an animal enclosure trap sample system that allowed comparison of insect blood-feeding levels between treated and non-treated animals. Blood- feeding of both Aedes dorsalis & A. melanimon from heifers treated with pour-on concentrate & whole body spray treatments was reduced significantl by 79 & 88% at 4 days post-treatment, with apparent but not significant reductions of 61% & 68% at 11 days post-treatment. Black fly, Simulium bivittatum and S. griseum, blood feeding was reduced significantly by 96% 99% at four days post-treatment, but apparent reductions of 30% and 87% at 11 days post-treatment were not significant. Blood-feeding of S. bivittatum from ponies treated with a permethrin fly wipe was reduced significantly by 98% & 87% at one and seven days post-treatment, respectively. No evidence of treatment-induced mortality was observed for recently blood-fed female mosquitoes or black flies captured from treated animals and held for 24 h. The potential benefit of using permethrin to protect livestock from insect- transmitted pathogens was estimated with a model based on level of host attack, pathogen infection rate in the vector, and suppression of blood feeding. Suppression of blood-feeding by 90% can be expected to prevent the exposure of a host to a pathogen for up to10 days at 1,000 insect feedings per day when the vector population infection rate is 1 insect per 1000. If insect feedings are lower (100/day) and the insect infection rate remains at one per 1000, protection can be expected for 100 days. In contrast, 90% suppression of blood-feeding will provide protection for less than one day at 1000 feedings per day and a vector infection rate of one insect per 100.