“Avaliação da eficiência de repelentes caseiros contra picada de mosquitos Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus,1762) (Diptera: Culicidae)”

Abstract

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the vector of arboviruses that cause diseases such as dengue, urban yellow fever, zika virus and chikungunya. Transmission occurs through the bite of females Ae. aegypti during hematophagy. One way to avoid mosquito bites is to use topical repellents that are commercially available on the market. Recipes for homemade repellents have been widely publicized by digital media such as Youtube, being viewed by thousands of people. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of homemade repellents most viewed on Youtube against Ae. aegypti bites. The three most viewed videos on YouTube of homemade repellents were selected, based on cloves; citronella and mixture of

citronella, clove and basil. Four adult volunteers (2 men and 2 women) were tested in five BG- Cage cages. Each formulation (1 ml) was evaluated on different days and applied individually

to the right forearm, while the left arm was used as a control. The commercial repellent Off! Refresh (DEET), and homemade clove repellents; citronella and mixture of citronella, clove and basil were tested at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210 and 240 minutes, totaling 864 tests. The essential oils of clove, basil and citronella were tested in concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, totaling 288 tests. The results showed that all repellents have an efficiency level above 95% repellency up to 30 min. However, after 30 minutes, homemade repellents showed results below those recommended by health agencies. The commercial repellent Off! (gold standard) provided 95% protection even after 4 hours of application. The homemade repellents studied did not show prolonged efficiency against the Ae. aegypti bite and that the essential oils of citronella, basil and clove can serve as potential repellent products.