Excito-repellency of deltamethrin on the malaria vectors, Anopheles minimus, Anopheles dirus, Anopheles swadiwongporni, and Anopheles maculatus, in Thailand.

This study compared the behavioral avoidance responses of 4 mosquito malaria vectors, Anopheles minimus, Anopheles dirus, Anopheles maculatus form B, and Anopheles swadiwongporni, to deltamethrin, the primary insecticide used for indoor residual spraying for malaria vector control in Thailand. Six test populations. representing 4 laboratory colonies and 2 wild-caught populations, were observed during and after exposure to deltamethrin at the operational dose (0.02 g active ingredient/m2) in excito-repellency escape chambers. The laboratory colonies included a deltamethrin-susceptible colony and a deltamethrin-resistant colony of An. minimus species A, 1 colony of An. dirus species B, and 1 colony of An. maculatus form B. The 2 wild-caught populations included An. swadiwongporni and members of the An. dirus complex. Times to escape by female mosquitoes during 30 min of exposure to deltamethrin-treated papers were observed in all populations and compared to nontreated paired controls in contact and noncontact test configurations. Strong behavioral avoidance was observed in the deltamethrin-resistant colony of An. minimus, followed by An. swadiwongporni and An. maculatus. The slowest escape response was observed in the colony of An. dirus species B. All 6 populations of Anopheles showed marked contact irritancy to deltamethrin compared to paired controls and noncontact repellency trials, in both controlled laboratory colonies and field-caught populations. The degree of repellency was less profound than irritancy but, in most cases, produced a significant escape response compared to paired controls. Avoidance behavior appears to be an innate behavior of mosquitoes, as indicated by the general avoidance response detected in all 4 species, regardless of deltamethrin susceptibility status, age, or nutritional and physiological status. Excito-repellency assays of the type described in this study should become an integral part of the overall assessment of an insecticide's ability to control disease transmission in any given area.