TITLE:
A Fast Test System to Evaluate the Physical Protection Potential of Textiles against Blood-Sucking Insects
AUTHORS:
Timo Hammer, Anja Gerhardts, Dirk Hoefer
KEYWORDS:
Malaria, Mouthpart, Outdoor, Spacer Fabric, Vector-Protection
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Textile Science and Technology,
Vol.4 No.3,
August
3,
2018
ABSTRACT: Blood-sucking insects can cause severe health damage in humans and animals for example by causing allergic reactions or by the propagation of vector-borne diseases such as malaria. Textiles are widely used for insect protection with bednets, curtains or outdoor clothing. The main approach is functionalization of the textiles with insect repellents like DEET or insecticides like permethrin. Instead of or in addition to these chemical measures the mechanical protection potential of the fabric itself has to be considered for preventing insect bites and stings effectively. Densely woven fabrics or spacer fabrics can serve as a chemical-free protection system. To compare the physical protection potential of different textiles against the mouthparts and stings of blood-sucking insects, we developed an easy and reliable test system which can be used in textile research institutes and companies. The system is mobile and can also be applied on wet textiles. We here describe the construction and validation of our new test system.