More Effective Topical Repellents Against Malaria-Bearing Mosquitoes: Review of Volunteer Tests of Mosquito Repellent Formulations, October 1969-September 1971.

Abstract : Malaria and other important arthropod-borne diseases are best controlled by eradicating the disease-bearing vectors. Many times this approach is impractical as when the population at risk is an extremely mobile population like a military force in a hostile environment. Under such circumstances, preventing the transmission of arthropod-borne disease is based on preventing or minimizing biting, not eliminating the insect. Bite prevention in the field can be achieved by rigorous enforcement of personal protective measures (nets, gloves, clothing), and the use of topical repellents. A repellent must be nontoxic, non-irritating, and effective in keeping insects off the skin. Topical repellent evaluation requires making determinations of an interacting system consisting of three components: the repellent, the insect, and man. Most of the studies presented deal with materials of known toxicity, irritancy, and repellency as defined from the literature or collaborators. The mosquito repellent presently used by the U.S. military in the field is a solution containing 75 parts N, N-diethyl-toluamide (DEET) and 25 parts of ethyl alcohol. N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide is the best repellent available in 1971. Its minimum effective concentration dose is lower than that of any of its competitors, and its protection time on non-sweating skin is excellent.