The effects of natural and synthetic attractants and repellents on ixodes persulcatus

Abstract

Tick-borne diseases have posed a serious threat to human health and life in recent decades as the number of cases of vector-borne diseases is rising steadily. Taiga ticks (Ixodes persulcatus) are among the most hazardous species of the Ixodidae family; they have spread from Siberia to China, Japan, Scandinavia and Poland. While repellents constitute a conventional line of defense against arthropod assaults, attractants are also employed in arthropod traps and may serve as the foundation for future protective technologies. The purpose of our study was to determine whether synthetic and natural substances of different classes have repellent or attractant effects on the taiga ticks. The substances included: DEET, IR3535, icaridin (KBR 3023), 2-undecanone, nootkatone, squalene, methyl salicylate, benzaldehyde and guanine. Choice trials (treated vs. untreated textile materials) were conducted across a broad concentration range. The results have shown that the effective dose of IR3535 was 66.0 g/m2, while DEET and icaridin repelled taiga ticks at 17.3 g/m2. The most effective repellent for I. persulcatus was nootkatone, at the concentration of 1.0 g/m2. Undecanone’s repellent ability was weaker compared to nootkatone, with an effective concentration of 2.0 g/m2. None of the chemicals under study exhibited a 100% attractant effect. Nevertheless, benzaldehyde and guanine exhibited the highest levels of attractant activity.