Evaluation of Mosquito Repellent Products' Efficacy, Safety, and Public Health Implications

NCT07686159 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2025H009
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 6
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Human Volunteer Participation: A total of six (6) healthy adult volunteers participated in the study, including three males and three females aged between 18 and 22 years. The volunteers participated in:

• Arm-in-Cage Test Procedure
• Dermatological Safety Test All participants were:
• Non-tobacco users
• Free from dermatosis or chronic skin disease
• Free from known allergic reactions to arthropod bites or mosquito repellents
• Informed regarding the objectives, procedures, risks, and benefits of the study Written informed consent was obtained from all volunteers before participation. Participants were instructed not to apply perfumes, aromatics, skincare products, or other mosquito repellents on the hands for at least 12 hours before and during the experiment to minimize experimental bias. Safety and Ethical Considerations:
• All experiments were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions.
• Appropriate safety precautions and monitoring procedures were maintained throughout the study.
• Volunteers retained the right to withdraw from the study at any stage without penalty.
• Confidentiality and anonymity of volunteer information were strictly maintained.
• No severe physical or psychological risk was associated with participation.
• Immediate medical support and first-aid facilities were available during experimentation.

Conditions

Mosquito Repellent; Mosquito Bite

Keywords

mosquito repellent; efficacy test; mosquito bite; protection time

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Number of Mosquito Landings on the Treated Forearm During the WHO Arm-in-Cage Test

  The number of mosquito landings on the treated forearm will be counted during each exposure period using the standardized WHO Arm-in-Cage Test with 50 unfed female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

  Measured at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours after repellent application.

• Number of Confirmed Mosquito Bites During the WHO Arm-in-Cage Test

  The number of confirmed mosquito bites occurring on the treated forearm will be recorded during each exposure period.

  Measured at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours after repellent application.

• Complete Protection Time Measured by the WHO Arm-in-Cage Test

  Complete Protection Time is defined as the elapsed time from repellent application until the first confirmed mosquito landing or bite.

  Up to 8 hours after application.

• Percentage Protection Against Mosquito Landing

  Percentage protection will be calculated by comparing the number of mosquito landings on treated skin with the corresponding control observations.

  Measured at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours after application

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Number of Participants With Treatment-Related Skin Reactions

  Within 8 hours after application.

Study Arms (1)

Arm-in-Cage Test Procedure

EXPERIMENTAL

This arm evaluates the efficacy of commercially available skin-applied mosquito repellent formulations against Aedes albopictus females using a standardized WHO-recommended Arm-in-Cage Test (ACT). The study assesses mosquito landing/biting protection under controlled laboratory conditions using human volunteers and standardized exposure procedures.

Device: Mosquito Repellent Products (Topical and Spatial Formulations)

Interventions

Mosquito Repellent Products (Topical and Spatial Formulations) DEVICE

Specialized rubber gloves designed to expose only a 4 × 4 cm area of dorsal hand skin while protecting the rest of the hand. Gloves were replaced between trials to prevent cross-contamination or residual repellent effects.

Arm-in-Cage Test Procedure

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 30 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• healthy adult volunteers participated

You may not qualify if:

• Sick and children

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Washington: collaborator
• Chinese Academy of Sciences: collaborator
• Tsinghua University: collaborator
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Switzerland): collaborator
• University of Basel: collaborator
• Military Institute of science and Technology: lead
• Texas A&M University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Biomedical Engineering Department, Military Institute of Science and Technology

Dhaka, Dhaka Division, 1216, Bangladesh

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Yoon JK, Kim KC, Cho Y, Gwon YD, Cho HS, Heo Y, Park K, Lee YW, Kim M, Oh YK, Kim YB. Comparison of Repellency Effect of Mosquito Repellents for DEET, Citronella, and Fennel Oil. J Parasitol Res. 2015;2015:361021. doi: 10.1155/2015/361021. Epub 2015 Oct 7.

  PMID: 26527362 RESULT

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: This study was conducted as an open-label evaluation of commercially available mosquito repellent products. Neither the participants nor the investigators were blinded to the identity of the tested products because the formulations (coils, vaporizers, sprays, creams, and natural repellents) differed substantially in appearance, mode of application, and operation. Outcome measurements included repellency efficacy, protection duration, dermatological safety, and user-reported observations.
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: Six healthy adult volunteers (three males and three females, aged 18-22 years) participated in the study. All volunteers underwent the Arm-in-Cage repellency bioassay and dermatological safety testing. Each participant was exposed to multiple commercially available mosquito repellent products according to the study protocol, allowing comparative assessment of efficacy, protection duration, and skin safety. No separate participant groups were established; therefore, all participants belonged to a single study arm.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2026
• First Posted: July 7, 2026
• Study Start: September 25, 2025
• Primary Completion: October 25, 2025
• Study Completion: November 5, 2025
• Last Updated: July 7, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

BA (1)