Comparative resistance of Anopheles albimanus and Aedes aegypti to N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (Deet) and 2-methylpiperidinyl-3-cyclohexen-1- carboxamide (AI3-37220) in laboratory human-volunteer repellent assays

The insect repellents N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (Deet) and the racemate and 1S,2′'S stereoisomer of 2-methylpiperidinyl-3-cyclohexene-1- carboxamide (AI3-37220) were tested against Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann and Aedes aegypti (L.) in laboratory human-volunteer assays. Estimated skin doses of Deet or racemic AI3-37220 required to reduce biting by 95% in Ae. aegypti were 2.3 and 3.5 × 10^-2 μmol/cm² skin, respectively, whereas estimated doses for 95% bite reduction of An. albimanus in an ≈40-yr-old laboratory colony established from El Salvador were 5 times higher at 12 × 10^-2 μmol Deet/cm² skin and >20 × 10^-2 μmol/cm² skin for AI3-37220. In tests with the 1S,2′S stereoisomer of AI3-37220, a newly established colony of An. albimanus from Belize bit less aggressively than El Salvador An. albimanus. However, the Belize-derived mosquitoes were as resistant as the old El Salvador colony to repellent effects of 1S,2′S stereoisomer of 2-methylpiperidinyl- 3-cyclohexene-1-carboxamide. Earlier workers surmised that usual skin doses of Deet would offer only limited protection against An. albimanus in the field. Our findings support this speculation, but they also indicate that doses of Deet higher than those needed for protection against Ae. aegypti might offer reasonable protection against An. albimanus. Results indicate that neither racemate nor 1S,2′S stereoisomer of 2-methylpiperidinyl-3-cyclohexene-1- carboxamide offer as much protection as Deet against An. Albimanus, despite being highly effective against Ae. aegypti.