Evaluation of permethrin-treated military uniforms for personal protection against malaria in northeastern Thailand.
A trial to compare the effect of military clothing treated by high-pressure spray with permethrin or placebo on the incidence of malaria in Royal Thai Army troops was conducted in northeastern Thailand. Bioassays of treated clothing using laboratory-reared Anopheles dirus females showed permethrin remained in the treated fabric for up to 90 days. Both permethrin- and placebo-treated uniform shirts provided > 84% protection from biting An. dirus in laboratory bioassays for the duration of the study. In laboratory tests, knockdown of An. dirus exposed to permethrin-treated cloth fell to < 20% after 3 hand washes, despite the presence of 28.7-59.9% of the original dose of permethrin. The use of permethrin-treated uniforms without adjunct application of topical repellents did not reduce malaria in Thai troops in an operational setting where incidence during 6 months was as high as 412 cases/1,000 in spite of chemoprophylaxis and use of untreated bednets.
Eamsila
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C
Research Division, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand.
Frances
S P
SP
Strickman
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D
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007303:Insect Vectors; D007306:Insecticides; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D008889:Military Personnel; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*; D026023:Permethrin; D011481:Protective Clothing; D011722:Pyrethrins; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
D007306:Insecticides; D011722:Pyrethrins; D026023:Permethrin