Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Evaluation of behavioral response of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to repellents using a novel olfactometer

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  • Mosquito-borne pathogens are the cause of important, often deadly diseases worldwide; and, use of repellents is one of the components of mosquito control programs. The most effective mosquito repellent is N,N-dimethyl-m-toluamide, known as DEET. Speculation on the adverse effects of DEET have been on the rise since the 1980s, and manufacturers are searching for a safe and long lasting insect repellent that may be used on the skin as well as possess spatial applications. Olfactometers used in the bioassays for evaluating repellents usually do not measure repellency, but rather measure non-attraction. Therefore, I designed a novel olfactometer that divides host-seeking behavior of mosquitoes into attraction and repellency at close range. I compared my olfactometer with another similar olfactometer and found no difference when attraction was measured. However, the new olfactometer assesses true repellency. I also added a new term to the terminology of host-seeking behavior, that is 'inhibition'. Inhibition occurs in combination with at least two chemicals and causes failure of mosquitoes to respond to a previously attractant stimulus. I evaluated 80 inert and active ingredients of commercially available products on eleven volunteers and determined that four were true repellents. I unexpectedly discovered that DEET did not attract nor repel the mosquitoes when applied on skin. I conducted a series of experiments to elucidate the behavioral mode of action of DEET. Lactic acid was used as a control attractant. I demonstrated that DEET attracted mosquitoes in the absence of a host. When DEET was combined with lactic acid, it neither repelled nor attracted mosquitoes. I concluded that DEET works in combination with lactic acid on the skin by inhibiting lactic acid, rather than being a true repellent. In this study, I developed a novel device measuring attraction, repellency and inhibition. I contributed to the mode of action of DEET by proving that DEET is not a repellent but an inhibitor, and I identified five true repellents that are worth consideration.
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