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Published on: March 16, 2019
Long-Lasting Permethrin-Impregnated Clothing Protects Against Mosquito Bites in Outdoor Workers
Berlin Londono-Renteria1, Jaymin C Patel2, Meagan Vaughn2
1Department of Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina; Department of Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana; Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina; Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana berlinlondo@yahoo.com.
Abstract:
Outdoor exposure to mosquitoes is a risk factor for many diseases, including malaria and dengue. We have previously shown that long-lasting permethrin-impregnated clothing protects against tick and chigger bites in a double-blind randomized controlled trial in North Carolina outdoor workers. Here, we evaluated whether this clothing is protective against mosquito bites by measuring changes in antibody titers to mosquito salivary gland extracts. On average, there was a 10-fold increase in titer during the spring and summer when mosquito exposure was likely to be the highest. During the first year of the study, the increase in titer in subjects wearing treated uniforms was 2- to 2.5-fold lower than that of control subjects. This finding suggests that long-lasting permethrin-impregnated clothing provided protection against mosquito bites.
