Natural insect repellent could be good news for dengue stricken areas

Scientists in the U.S. have found that a natural compound is just as effective as the widely used synthetic chemical repellent N,N-diethyl-3-methyl benzamide (DEET) against mosquitoes and ticks.

The natural compound Isolongifolenone is found in a South American pine tree, the Tauroniro tree and is apparently effective in deterring biting mosquitoes and in repelling ticks - both of these are known to spread diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus and Lyme disease, and could be good news for dengue stricken areas in Australia.

While this may sound a sensational discovery derivatives of isolongifolenone have been widely and safely used for decades as fragrances in cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants, and paper products and the advent of new processing methods may possibly mean it is as cheap to produce as DEET and equally effective.

The research by the team at the U.S. Government Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory into the use of isolongifolenone, found that the natural compound deters the biting of the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi more effectively than the widely used synthetic chemical DEET and also repelled blacklegged ticks and lone star ticks equally as effectively as DEET.

The researchers say as isolongifolenone is easily synthesized from inexpensive turpentine oil feedstock, they are confident that the compound has significant potential as an inexpensive and safe repellent for protection of large human populations against 'blood-feeding arthropods'.

The article regarding isolongifolenone is by research chemist Dr Aijun Zhang and colleagues and is published in the latest issue of Journal of Medical Entomology.