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Topical and spatial repellent bioassays against the Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus (Acari: Ixodidae)
Author(s) -
Sukka Chutipong,
Chareonviriyaphap Theeraphap,
Doggett Stephen L
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
austral entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.502
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 2052-1758
pISSN - 2052-174X
DOI - 10.1111/aen.12420
Subject(s) - ixodidae , biology , tick , toxicology , acaricide , deet , veterinary medicine , medicine , traditional medicine
Abstract The Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus , is the cause of significant human morbidity. Bites from the tick may result in paralysis, allergic reactions that can include anaphylaxis and death, mammalian meat allergies and the transmission of infectious agents. In recent years, there have been a number of papers published on the microbiome of the species, but to date, there is no published research on I . holocyclus management or personal protection options to prevent the bite from the species. The study herein focused on the latter; the use of repellents for the prevention of bites from I . holocyclus . Five personal repellents were tested along with coconut oil, and a citronella patch and wristband. These were all tested for repellency in a laboratory assay over the time intervals of 15 min, 1, 2, 3 and 4 h post application. The personal repellents included the active ingredients of picaridin (9.3%), DEET (11.5%), lemon eucalyptus (36.0%), a combined formulation of citronella and tea tree oil (28.4%) and an extract of Andrographis paniculata (30% w/v). The coconut oil was 30% v/v. The citronella patch contained 120 mg/patch, whereas the citronella wristband contained 750 mg/band. Two spatial repellents were also tested in the laboratory for repellency and toxicity against I . holocyclus and tested for toxicity in the field. These included OFF!® Clip‐On™ (metofluthrin 312 g/kg) and Thermacell® (allethrin 219.7 g/kg). For the personal repellents at 4 h, there was no statistical difference in repellency between the formulations of picaridin, DEET and lemon eucalyptus, with over 84% repellency recorded for all. Thus, these would be the personal repellents recommended for preventing tick bites. The citronella patch produced 100% repellency over 4 h; however, as this type of product is known to only provide protection close to the patch, it is not recommended for routine use. For the spatial repellents, both produced significant repellency and toxicity in the laboratory, but failed to produce any tick mortality in the field, and their use cannot be recommended. This is the first published study investigating personal and spatial repellents for the prevention of tick bite from I . holocyclus .