%0 Journal Article
%T Spatial repellency of transfluthrin-treated hessian strips against laboratory-reared Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes in a semi-field tunnel cage
%A Sheila B Ogoma
%A Hassan Ngonyani
%A Emmanuel T Simfukwe
%A Anthony Mseka
%A Jason Moore
%A Gerry F Killeen
%J Parasites & Vectors
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1756-3305-5-54
%X Protective efficacy of a 4.0 กม 0.3 m strip of hessian sacking treated with 10 ml of transfluthrin was evaluated in a 60 m กม 2 m กม2.5 m netting tunnel with malaria-free insectary-reared Anopheles arabiensis Patton mosquitoes. Personal protection, in terms of proportional reduction of exposure to bites, was measured by comparing human landing catches of volunteers with treated and untreated strips. A freshly treated hessian strip reduced mosquito attack rate on human volunteers by > 99% and consistently conferred > 90% protective efficacy for a period of 6 months. Over the entire study period, only 22 out of 1400 released mosquitoes bit volunteers using the treated sacking strip while 894 out of 1400 mosquitoes released into cages containing volunteers using an untreated strip fed upon them.Locally available natural fibers may be promising absorbent substrates for delivering spatial repellents, such as transfluthrin, to protect against mosquitoes in tropical settings. However, these observations relate to a single prototype specimen of this particular device, therefore, much more detailed, well replicated studies are essential to establish long-term efficacy, effectiveness, practicability and affordability.Long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) have successfully reduced malaria in many endemic regions of Africa [1-4]. These measures have successfully reduced malaria vectors, which predominantly feed upon humans (anthropophagic) and rest (endophilic) and feed (endophagic) indoors [5-11]. Despite impressive successes, these tools are less effective against exophagic, and exophilic mosquito vectors [12,13]. It is therefore critical to find new tools that would protect people whilst outdoors.Recently developed mathematical models suggest that highly efficacious spatial repellents are likely to be effective when used outdoors in areas where transmission commonly occurs outside of houses [14] or is mediated by mosquitoes which primarily fe
%K Outdoor mosquito control
%K Spatial repellency
%K Hessian strips
%U http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/5/1/54