Behavioural mode of action of deet: inhibition of lactic acid attraction.
Using the mosquito Aedes aegypti in a novel olfactometer that measures movement towards and away from a stimulus, we could not confirm that 'deet' is a repellent of mosquitoes. In the absence of a host, deet was an attractant and in the presence of a host, it was an inhibitor of attraction. This inhibition occurred in the gaseous phase and was therefore not the result of the physical properties of deet. We determined that L-lactic acid, a component of human sweat that is an attractant to mosquitoes, is the target of this inhibition, implying that lactic acid may be a bottleneck in the behavioural cascade preceding blood-sucking.
Dogan
E B
EB
Department of Entomology, Oregon State University, Corvallis 97331, USA.
Ayres
J W
JW
Rossignol
P A
PA
D000330:Aedes / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003671:DEET; D004924:Escape Reaction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007302:Insect Repellents; D019344:Lactic Acid; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods*
D007302:Insect Repellents; D003671:DEET; D019344:Lactic Acid