Life Sciences Commons^™

Better Than Deet Repellent Compounds Derived From Coconut Oil, Junwei J. Zhu, Steven C. Cermak, James A. Kenar, Gary Brewer, Kenneth F. Haynes, Dave Boxler, Paul D. Baker, Desen Wang, Changlu Wang, Andrew Y. Li, Rui-De Xue, Yuan Shen, Fei Wang, Natasha M. Agramonte, Ulrich R. Bernier, Jaires G. De Oliveira Filho, Ligia M. F. Borges, Kristina Friesen, David B. Taylor

Entomology Faculty Publications

Hematophagous arthropods are capable of transmitting human and animal pathogens worldwide. Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases resulting in 700,000 human deaths annually. Repellents are a primary tool for reducing the impact of biting arthropods on humans and animals. N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), the most effective and long-lasting repellent currently available commercially, has long been considered the gold standard in insect repellents, but with reported human health issues, particularly for infants and pregnant women. In the present study, we report fatty acids derived from coconut oil which are novel, inexpensive and highly efficacious repellant compounds. These coconut …