A wind tunnel bioassay system for screening mosquito repellents

A wind tunnel bioassay system to screen mosquito repellents is described. A wind tunnel is utilized to exploit the upwind flight response of host-seeking mosquitoes. Mosquitoes within the wind tunnel are activated with human breath, fly upwind, and land on heated chick skins. This behavioral sequenc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association Vol. 16; no. 3; p. 234
Main Authors:	Sharpington, P J, Healy, T P, Copland, M J
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States 01-09-2000
Subjects:	Aedes Animals Biological Assay - instrumentation Biological Assay - methods Chickens Culicidae DEET Humans Insect Repellents - standards Skin Wind
Online Access:	Get more information
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Summary:	A wind tunnel bioassay system to screen mosquito repellents is described. A wind tunnel is utilized to exploit the upwind flight response of host-seeking mosquitoes. Mosquitoes within the wind tunnel are activated with human breath, fly upwind, and land on heated chick skins. This behavioral sequence results in a consistently high percentage of the test population approaching repellent or control stimuli. The bioassay system is calibrated with diethyl methylbenzamide against Aedes aegypti and demonstrates a reproducible dose-response relationship. The persistence of diethyl methyl benzamide after a 1-h period is also recorded. The design of the bioassay system permits simultaneous, independent testing of 3 candidate repellents. The wind tunnel bioassay system is compared to other techniques for evaluating mosquito repellents.
ISSN:	8756-971X