• Repellent effects of insectici...

*Result*: Repellent effects of insecticides against Aedes aegypti: a systematic review.

Title:
Repellent effects of insecticides against Aedes aegypti: a systematic review.
Authors:
Koerich LB; Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. lbkoerich@gmail.com.; Laboratório de Genômica Evolutiva, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. lbkoerich@gmail.com., Serravite AM; Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., de Castro PH; Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Rabelo JP; Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Andrade PH; Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Marques DM; Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Pereira MH; Laboratório de Fisiologia de Insetos Hematófagos, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Sant'Anna MRV; Laboratório de Fisiologia de Insetos Hematófagos, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Gontijo NF; Laboratório de Fisiologia de Insetos Hematófagos, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Bezerra JMT; Centro de Estudos Superiores de Lago da Pedra, Universidade Estadual Do Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil., Pessoa GCD'; Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. grasiellepessoa2016@gmail.com.
Source:
Parasites & vectors [Parasit Vectors] 2025 Dec 16; Vol. 18 (1), pp. 504. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Dec 16.
Publication Type:
Journal Article; Systematic Review
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101462774 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1756-3305 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17563305 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Parasit Vectors Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Original Publication: London : BioMed Central
MeSH Terms:
Aedes*/drug effects , Insecticides*/pharmacology , Mosquito Vectors*/drug effects , Insect Repellents*/pharmacology, Mosquito Control/methods ; Animals ; Insecticide Resistance
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Contributed Indexing:
Keywords: Aedes aegypti; Excito-repellency; HITSS; Insecticide; Repellency; Resistance; Vector control
Substance Nomenclature:
0 (Insecticides)
0 (Insect Repellents)
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20251216 Date Completed: 20251217 Latest Revision: 20260113
Update Code:
20260130
PubMed Central ID:
PMC12709794
DOI:
10.1186/s13071-025-07140-z
PMID:
41402923
Database:
MEDLINE

*Further Information*

*Background: Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of arboviruses, including dengue, Zika and chikungunya, representing a major global public health concern. Owing to the lack of effective vaccines and specific therapeutic options for these infections, vector control remains the main strategy to limit their spread. Traditionally, vector control has relied on extensive use of insecticides combined with the elimination of breeding sites. However, in addition to selecting for insecticide-resistant mosquitoes, concerns have arisen about behavioural effects induced by insecticides, particularly repellency - defined as the ability of a chemical compound to trigger avoidance behaviour in insects, thereby reducing their exposure to treated surfaces. This systematic review aimed to synthesise current knowledge on repellent effects of certain insecticides on A. aegypti.
Methods: A literature search was conducted in the databases Virtual Health Library (BVS), PubMed® and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 46 original studies published between 1990 and 2023 were included.
Results: Altogether, 433 bioassays were analysed, of which 69.8% reported repellent effects. The most common methods used to assess repellency were excito-repellency chambers, HITSS assays and the arm-in-cage test. Pyrethroids were used in 86.6% of repellency assays, followed by organochlorines (9.4%). Regarding the resistance profile of tested mosquito populations, susceptible populations exhibited higher frequencies of contact (92.2%) and spatial (77.3%) repellency behaviours than resistant ones (74.1% and 44.0%, respectively).
Conclusions: Our findings indicate that insecticide-induced repellency is common and may interfere with the effectiveness of chemical control strategies. Nevertheless, studies addressing the underlying molecular and sensory mechanisms involved in repellent perception remain scarce.
(© 2025. The Author(s).)*

*Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: All authors consent for the publication of the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.*