Essential Oil Composition and Spatial Repellency against Aedes aegypti Using a High-Throughput Screening System

Essential oils present environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional vector-control products. Aedes aegypti strongly impacts public health by transmitting the viruses responsible for dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and urban yellow fever. This study investigated the spatial repellency and chemical composition of 36 commercially available essential oils and 11 volatile compounds against the female Ae. aegypti mosquito using a high-throughput screening system (HITSS). Of the 36 essential oils evaluated, 30 commercial oils (83%) presented significant (P < 0.05) spatial repellency, of which 9 were classified as strong repellents (wSAI >50), 11 as medium repellents (20 < wSAI <50), and 10 as weak repellents (wSAI <20). Citronellol and menthol behaved as strong repellents, while the other 9 volatile compounds showed important repellent or attractant effects. In addition, the study identified 37 nonoxygenated compounds and 55 oxygenated compounds, totaling 92 components distributed in the 36 oils investigated. Of the 30 oils that modified Ae. aegypti behavior, 20 were strong/medium repellents, which are candidates for the development of new spatial repellent devices capable of creating vector-free areas. Additionally, our evaluation of 11 volatile compounds using the HITSS assay provides insights into better understanding structure-repellency relationships.