Study Assesses Spatial Repellents Against Adult Female Ticks

Spatial Repellents Against Adult Female Ticks
Questing Ixodes Scapularis tick courtesy of James Occi, Ph.D., LDA Scientific & Professional Advisory Board

Eric L. Siegel, et al., published a study examining a potential new tick repellent method titled “Spatial repellents transfluthrin and metofluthrin affect the behavior of Dermacentor variabilisAmblyomma americanum, and Ixodes scapularis in an in vitro vertical climb assay” in PLOS ONE on November 8, 2022. The researchers assessed the efficacy of those repellents against Dermacentor variabilisAmblyomma americanum, and Ixodes scapularis adult, female ticks by designing an in vitro vertical climb assay to measure spatial repellency. 

Dvariabilis exhibited the greatest overall sensitivity to each repellent, followed by Aamericanum, and I. scapularis. The most significant and consolidative determination of repellency was climbing deterrence–a gauge of the spatial repellent’s efficacy in disrupting a tick’s instinctive predisposition to climb.

Additional studies will measure efficacy in natural settings while scaling exposure incidents and integrating host cues.


For More Information:

Read the study in PLOS ONE.

Read more about tick bite prevention.