Deet is considered the most effective broad spectrum repellent AI against biting arthropods.6 The first laboratory tests against mosquitoes were reported by Gilbert and colleagues7 who showed deet and dimethylphthalate were equally effective against Anopheles quadrimaculatus. learn more Altman8 reported field studies in Panama against Anopheles albimanus and showed 75% deet provided protection for at least 3 hours. Field studies undertaken in the last 20 years in Africa,9,10 Australia,11,12 Papua New Guinea,13,14 Malaysia,15 and Thailand16 have shown that protection against Anopheles spp. is less than that provided against Culicine mosquitoes. The response

of different mosquito species to deet is variable.17 Field tests of repellent formulations containing deet

against biting Culex spp., Aedes spp., Mansonia spp., selleck chemicals and Verrallina spp. have been reported.5 The protection provided by deet was longer against these genera than provided against Anopheles spp.12 Studies have shown that deet provides only minimal or poor protection against ticks.18–21 However, recently Carroll and colleagues22 showed that a 33% deet, Extended Duration formulation provided high levels of protection for 12 hours. Deet is recommended to be applied to the exposed skin of humans. However, alternative methods of using deet have been proposed and investigated. The application of deet to wide mesh cotton/nylon jackets provided good protection against mosquitoes and biting flies.23 Deet-treated netting used as groundsheets were shown to provide significant protection against ticks.24 Although application of deet to nylon/cotton fabrics has been shown to enhance protection against bites, the application of deet to some synthetic fibers and plastics may cause damage, and thus the use of deet applied to clothing is not widely accepted. Ribonuclease T1 The use of wristbands treated with deet and other AIs offered no protection against mosquitoes.4 There have been a number of reviews

concerning the safety of deet,25,26 and they have attested to its generally acceptable safety profile. There are few reports of systemic toxicity in adults following dermal application. The safety profile in the second and third trimester of pregnancy has been established through observation of very low placental cord concentrations after maternal application of deet,27 and animal models do not indicate any teratogenic effects.28 Recommendations for use in young children do vary between countries, with some recommending lower concentrations29 and others suggesting that higher strengths can be used.30 However, the causation between the few reported cases of encephalopathy in children and the topical use of deet cannot be supported by a good evidence base.