[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/EW-04-02-14-DEET.mp3|titles=EW 04-02-14 DEET]
DEET, also known as N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, was developed during World War II to protect our troops during military operations in the tropical Pacific from mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. It undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. At war’s end, it was commercialized for public use. Countless families have slathered on DEET to ward off bugs on weekend picnics, camping trips, and nature walks.
I’ve always been suspicious of DEET, especially when I considered that concentrated solutions do a great job dissolving plastic table cloths, automobile paint, and watchbands. DEET has never been shown to cause cancer, but it sure wouldn’t surprise me to hear that it did.
Recently, a group of researchers at the University of California at Riverside discovered how DEET works, which opens up a whole new set of possibilities for finding a DEET substitute. Using fruit flies, the team identified a set of neurons in the antenna, with a receptor known as Ir-40a. When Ir-40a is blocked, bugs lose their perception of DEET.
The researchers screened more than 400,000 chemicals and found several that activate Ir-40a, making them potential insect repellants. Compounds with no known toxic or carcinogenic properties will be the best candidates for further scrutiny. Some of the compounds identified in the initial screening are naturally found in the environment, which potentially makes them much safer than synthetic compounds, like DEET.
The identification of Ir-40a will dramatically speed the process of finding a substitute for DEET, so we can continue to enjoy nature, without nature enjoying us.
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For more information, please see Kain et al. (2013) Nature doi.1038/nature12594
Photo, taken on January 30, 2007, courtesy of Agromonitor Agricultura via Flickr.
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