uA research by the University of Florence together with that of Pisa and Rome La Sapienza has identified «a new mosquito repellent that protects for eight hours as the icaridina chemical compound that is already on the market and is odorless, but which is even less toxic,” he explains Francesca Romana Dani, professor of Zoology in Florence and research coordinator.
A new weapon against mosquitoes
The new repellent has been tested on the tiger mosquitoand in 95 percent of the subjects it guaranteed 8 hours of protection. The goal of Italian researchers, and in general of all studies on new repellents, is find formulas capable of blocking the transmission of diseases such as dengue, encephalitis and malaria, which cause 725,000 deaths a year in other parts of the world. The research team therefore wants test the product also on the Anopheles mosquito, carrier of malaria.
«Several research today aims to obtain repellents of natural origin that have a lasting effect, as natural products today have the drawback of having to be applied several times during the day» explains Fabrizio Montarsi, head of the Parasitology laboratory of the Istituto zooprofilattico delle Venezie.
«In Italy they are present the common mosquitowho stays at home and acts at night, e the tiger mosquito, which stays outdoors and bites during the day. In order not to favor their places of reproduction, for example, it is advisable to empty the saucers of stagnant water. It is enough to do it once every six days because the mosquito completes its development cycle in a week”.
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