Phenethyl isothiocyanate isolated from Armoracia rusticana root oil and its derivatives were tested at different doses in a bioassay designed to evaluate repellency against individual Haemaphysalis longicornis nymphs. Among the tested compounds, benzyl isothiocyanate exhibited repellency against H. longicornis nymphs at the lowest dose of 0.00625 mg/cm², followed by phenethyl isothiocyanate (0.0125 mg/cm²) and phenyl isothiocyanate (0.025 mg/cm²). The behavioral responses of H. longicornis nymphs exposed to benzyl isothiocyanate and phenethyl isothiocyanate indicated that the mode of action of these compounds can be mainly attributed to the vapor phase. Encapsulated benzyl isothiocyanate showed repellency up to 120 min post-application at 0.1 mg/cm², whereas pure benzyl isothiocyanate showed repellency up to 60 min post-application at 0.1 mg/cm². The present study suggests that benzyl isothiocyanate is a potential repellent for protection against H. longicornis nymphs, and encapsulation in yeast cells may enhance the repellency effect.

This study was conducted to assess the repellent activity of Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. [Lamiaceae] essential oil (EO) and its nanoemulsion (NE) against Haemaphysalis longicornis nymphs. Pogostemon cablin EO nanoemulsion (PCNE) was prepared by ultrasonic emulsification using P. cablin EO and a surfactant, Tween 80. The results of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed that the major component of P. cablin EO was patchouli alcohol (32.04%), followed by δ-guaiene (18.13%), α-guaiene (16.76%), seychellene (7.49%), and β-patchoulene (5.09%). The droplet sizes of PCNEs formulated using P. cablin EO and Tween 80 in ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3 were 23.8, 20.1 and 17.7 nm, respectively, indicating that the increase in the ratio of Tween 80 led to a decrease in droplet size. All essential oil preparations had an acceptable polydispersity index of 0.5 or less. The P. cablin EO and Tween 80 ratio of 1:3 was selected as the optimal formulation with the smallest droplet size; transmission electron microscopy indicated the formation of uniform spherical droplets. PCNE (84.0%) showed a higher repellent activity against H. longicornis nymphs than P. cablin EO (72.0%). The nanoemulsion is suitable for improving the repellent activity of P. cablin EO and is a potential repellent for H. longicornis.

Ji-yeong Ku, Jun-Hwan Park, Seo-Ho Kim, Yong-il Cho, Chan-Lan Kim, Seung-Eon Cha, Gee-Wook Shin, Jinho Park. Korean J. Vet. Serv. 2022;45:47-54. https://doi.org/10.7853/kjvs.2022.45.1.47