Mosquito Repellent Efficacy of Australian Blue Cypress Callitris intratropica Essential Oil and a Topical Formulation under Laboratory and Field Conditions

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2023 Aug 14;109(3):690-697. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0089. Print 2023 Sep 6.

Abstract

Mosquito repellents are important for personal protection against nuisance and potentially infectious mosquito bites. Repellent activity of Australian blue cypress essential oil (EO) and a commercially formulated skin lotion containing blue cypress EO (topical formulation) were compared with 20% DEET (N, N-diethyl-3 toluamide) against mosquitoes under laboratory and field conditions in North Queensland, Australia. On a volunteer's forearm, 1 mL of candidate material was applied to approximately 600 cm2 of exposed skin. When blue cypress EO was applied at various concentrations (0.5%-10.5%), it did not fully prevent mosquito landing or biting. However, a dose-dependent increase, approaching 80% protection, was observed at high EO concentrations. On the basis of these results, three concentrations (5%, 10%, and 20%) of blue cypress EO were selected for complete protection time (CPT) experiments. Topical formulation (undiluted) was also included in CPT experiments. Although some protection was afforded, mosquito landing/probing were still recorded immediately after application for both blue cypress EO and its topical formulation. Specifically, protection declined for blue cypress EO from 80% to 70% (laboratory) and from 93% to 50% (field) within 1 hour. For topical formulation, protection declined from 85% to 75% in the laboratory and from 63% to 50% in the field. In comparison, DEET maintained a 100% protection throughout the testing period of up to 1 h, and there was no landing/probing observed in volunteers who had applied DEET. To conclude, both blue cypress products provided some protection against mosquito bites, which decreased soon after application.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes*
  • Animals
  • Australia
  • Cupressus*
  • DEET / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Insect Bites and Stings*
  • Insect Repellents* / pharmacology
  • Oils, Volatile* / pharmacology

Substances

  • Insect Repellents
  • DEET
  • Oils, Volatile