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Knockdown and repellent effect of permethrin-impregnated army uniform cloth against Aedes aegypti after different cycles of washings

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Abstract

Personnel protection is one of the methods for protection from bites of mosquitoes and other arthropod vectors transmitting many dreadful diseases. Insect repellents and other plant products are normally used to ward off mosquitoes. Application of synthetic pyrethroid permethrin on cloth is adopted for repelling arthropod vectors in many countries for military and civil purposes. In the present study, attempt has been made to impregnate permethrin in the army uniform cloth and to evaluate for its knockdown and repellency against unfed female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in laboratory condition. WHO protocols were adopted for impregnation of permethrin on cloth and evaluation for its knockdown and repellency after different cycles of washing. Results showed that 93.33 % of mosquitoes were knocked down within 1 h after the first washing while its efficacy reduced gradually till the fifty-fifth washing. Landing of mosquitoes on the permethrin-treated cloth was found to increase with respect to number of washings as compared to the untreated cloth. Within 24 h, 100 % mortality of all the mosquitoes exposed to permethrin-impregnated cloth was observed. SEM-EDX studies on the texture of untreated cloth and permethrin-treated cloth after different cycles of washing also revealed presence of permethrin on treated cloth.

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Acknowledgments

All the authors are thankful to Prof. (Dr.) M. P. Kaushik, Director, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior, for his constant encouragement. Authors also thankfully acknowledge all other staff of Vector Management Division for their help in the maintenance of mosquito colony and other supports during the above study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Defence Research and Development Establishment, Jhansi road, Gwalior, 474 002, M.P, India

    D. Sukumaran, Ajay Kumar Sharma, Yogesh H. Wasu, Pratibha Pandey & Varun Tyagi

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  1. D. Sukumaran
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  2. Ajay Kumar Sharma
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  3. Yogesh H. Wasu
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  4. Pratibha Pandey
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  5. Varun Tyagi
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Correspondence to D. Sukumaran.

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Sukumaran, D., Sharma, A.K., Wasu, Y.H. et al. Knockdown and repellent effect of permethrin-impregnated army uniform cloth against Aedes aegypti after different cycles of washings. Parasitol Res 113, 1739–1747 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3819-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3819-7

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