Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32879341›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2020

Mosquito repellence induced by tarsal contact with hydrophobic liquids.

Hiroaki Iikura, Hiroyuki Takizawa, Satoshi Ozawa, Takao Nakagawa, Yoshiaki Matsui, Hiromi Nambu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Gustatory avoidance of fatty acids byProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Hiroaki IikuraMaterial Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2-1-3 Bunka, Sumida, Tokyo, 131-8501, Japan. iikura.hiroaki@kao.com.
Hiroyuki TakizawaPersonal Health Care Products Research, Kao Corporation, 2-1-3 Bunka, Sumida, Tokyo, 131-8501, Japan.
Satoshi OzawaMaterial Science Research, Kao Corporation, 1334 Minato, Wakayama, Wakayama, 640-8580, Japan.
Takao NakagawaPersonal Health Care Products Research, Kao Corporation, 2-1-3 Bunka, Sumida, Tokyo, 131-8501, Japan.
Yoshiaki MatsuiMaterial Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2-1-3 Bunka, Sumida, Tokyo, 131-8501, Japan.
Hiromi NambuMaterial Science Research, Kao Corporation, 2-1-3 Bunka, Sumida, Tokyo, 131-8501, Japan.
Kao Corporation (Japan) · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mosquito legs have a unique highly water-repellent surface structure. While being beneficial to mosquitoes, the water-repellence of the tarsi enhances the wettability of hydrophobic substances such as oils. This high wettability induces strong attraction forces on a mosquito's legs (up to 87% of the mosquito's weight) towards the oil. We studied the landing behaviour of mosquitoes on oil-coated surfaces and observed that the mosquito contact time was reduced compared to that on hydrophilic-liquid-coated surfaces, suggesting that the oil coating induces an escape response. The observed escape behaviour occurred consistently with several hydrophobic liquids, including silicone oil, which is used globally in personal care products. As the repellent effect is similar to multiple hydrophobic substances, it is likely to be mechanically stimulated owing to the physical properties of the hydrophobic liquids and not due to chemical interactions. On human skin, the contact time was sufficiently short to prevent mosquitoes from starting to blood-feed. The secretion of Hippopotamus amphibius, which has physical properties similar to those of low-viscosity silicone oil, also triggered an escape response, suggesting that it acts as a natural mosquito repellent. Our results are beneficial to develop new, safe, and effective mosquito-repellent technologies.

Indexed as

Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic InteractionsAedesAnimalsArtiodactylaDimethylpolysiloxanesFemaleHumansInsect RepellentsMicroscopy, Atomic ForceNylonsSiliconesSkinStress, MechanicalSurface TensionViscosityWaterDimethylpolysiloxanesInsect RepellentsNylonspoly(dimethylsiloxane)-polyamide copolymerSiliconesWater

Identifiers

PMID32879341
PMCPMC7468126
OpenAlexW3081813861

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.