Efficacy of the Mosquito Repellent DEET on Aedes aegypti in Lagos, Nigeria

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Zoology University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Mosquitoes are known to be a great nuisance, transmitting disease-causing pathogens which have contributed to the reduction in the life expectancy of humans. Effective vector control and management are vital in the prevention of diseases spread by mosquitoes. One of the ways is to prevent mosquito bites through the use of repellents such as N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET). The insect repellent DEET was prepared as a 5% solution in absolute alcohol and evaluated for repellency against Aedes mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) in the laboratory using human subjects in the Entomological unit, University of Lagos, Nigeria. For the field evaluation, a survey was conducted in the field to determine the effectiveness of DEET mosquito repellent in four study areas within Lagos State, Nigeria. In the laboratory, 0.2ml and 0.4ml of 5% DEET solutions showed equal repellency (P>0.5) for 481 minutes and 560.67minutes respectively against Aedes aegypti but both concentrations were significantly different from 0ml of DEET (control). Under field evaluation, DEET mosquito repellent provided a high level of protection against mosquitoes at a protection time ranging from 6 to 10hours. This study, however, showed that DEET mosquito repellent is effective in repelling Aedes mosquitoes for a long period of time.

Keywords

Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. A, Entomology
Volume 14, Issue 4
December 2021
Pages 137-143

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