Deltamethrin
Encyclopedia
Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid
ester
insecticide
.
s. While mammalian exposure to deltamethrin is classified as safe, this pesticide is highly toxic to aquatic life, particularly fish, and therefore must be used with extreme caution around water. It is neurotoxic to humans and has been found in human breast milk.
There are many uses for deltamethrin, ranging from agricultural uses to home pest control. Deltamethrin has been instrumental in preventing the spread of diseases carried by tick-infested prairie dog
s, rodent
s and other burrowing animals. It is helpful in eliminating and preventing a wide variety of household pests, especially spider
s, flea
s, tick
s, carpenter ant
s, carpenter bee
s, cockroach
es and bedbug
s. Deltamethrin is also one of the primary ingredients in ant chalk
.
vectors, and is used in the manufacture of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito net
s. It is used as one of a battery of pyrethroid insecticides in control of malarial vectors, particularly Anopheles gambiae, and whilst being the most employed pyrethroid insecticide, can be used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, permethrin, cypermethrin and other organophosphate-based insecticides, such as malathion and fenthion. Resistance to deltamethrin (and its counterparts) is now extremely widespread and threatens the success of worldwide vector control programmes.
. Characterisation of the different forms of resistance has become a top priority in groups studying tropical medicine
due to the high mortality of those who reside in endemic areas (Muller, Pie, et al. (2008). Field caught Permethrin-Resistant Anopheles gambiae overexpress CYP6P3, a P450 that metabolises pyrethroids,PLoS Genetics 4(11)).
Since deltamethrin is a neurotoxin
, it attacks the nervous system. Skin contact can lead to tingling or reddening of the skin local to the application. If taken in through the eyes or mouth, a common symptom is facial paraesthesia, which can feel like many different abnormal sensations, including burning, partial numbness, "pins and needles", skin crawling, etc. There are no reports indicating that chronic intoxication from pyrethroid insecticides causes motor neuron damage or motor neuron disease. However, in 2011, a case report was published demonstrating pathologically proven motor neuron death in a Japanese woman after acute massive ingestion of pesticides containing pyrethroids and organochlorine.
Recently, in South Africa
, residues of deltamethrin were found in breast milk
, together with DDT
, in an area that used DDT
treatment for malaria
control, as well as pyrethroids in small-scale agriculture.
There are no antidote
s, and treatment must be symptomatic, as approved by a physician. Over time, deltamethrin is metabolized
, with a rapid loss of toxicity, and passed from the body. A poison control center
should be contacted in the event of an accidental poisoning.
, following use of agricultural deltamethrin preparation in external application in tick
control. Symptoms appeared 36 hours after the application, and included muscular tremors that lead to decubitus
12 hours later. After 12 hours, there was spontaneous recovery and the animal could stand up again, although the muscular tremors persisted. The body temperature was then 38.3°C. (normal range 38.0 to 39.5°C.).
Pyrethroid
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums . Pyrethroids now constitute a major commercial household insecticides...
ester
Ester
Esters are chemical compounds derived by reacting an oxoacid with a hydroxyl compound such as an alcohol or phenol. Esters are usually derived from an inorganic acid or organic acid in which at least one -OH group is replaced by an -O-alkyl group, and most commonly from carboxylic acids and...
insecticide
Insecticide
An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...
.
Usage
Deltamethrin products are among the most popular and widely used insecticides in the world and have become very popular with pest control operators and individuals in the United States in the past five years. This material is a member of one of the safest classes of pesticides: synthetic pyrethroidPyrethroid
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums . Pyrethroids now constitute a major commercial household insecticides...
s. While mammalian exposure to deltamethrin is classified as safe, this pesticide is highly toxic to aquatic life, particularly fish, and therefore must be used with extreme caution around water. It is neurotoxic to humans and has been found in human breast milk.
There are many uses for deltamethrin, ranging from agricultural uses to home pest control. Deltamethrin has been instrumental in preventing the spread of diseases carried by tick-infested prairie dog
Prairie dog
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
s, rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s and other burrowing animals. It is helpful in eliminating and preventing a wide variety of household pests, especially spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, flea
Flea
Flea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...
s, tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
s, carpenter ant
Carpenter ant
Carpenter ants are large ants indigenous to many parts of the world. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. They do not eat it, however, unlike termites. Sometimes carpenter ants will hollow out sections of trees. The most likely species to be infesting a house in the United States...
s, carpenter bee
Carpenter bee
Carpenter bees are large, hairy bees distributed worldwide. There are some 500 species of carpenter bee in 31 subgenera...
s, cockroach
Cockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
es and bedbug
Bedbug
Cimicidae are small parasitic insects. The most common type is Cimex lectularius. The term usually refers to species that prefer to feed on human blood...
s. Deltamethrin is also one of the primary ingredients in ant chalk
Ant chalk
Ant chalk, also known as Chinese chalk or 'Miraculous Insecticide Chalk', is an insecticide in the form of normal looking chalk. It contains the pesticides deltamethrin and cypermethrin.-Controversy:...
.
Malaria control
Deltamethrin plays a key role in controlling malariaMalaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
vectors, and is used in the manufacture of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito net
Mosquito net
A mosquito net offers protection against mosquitos, flies, and other insects, and thus against diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and various forms of encephalitis, including the West Nile virus, if used properly and especially if treated with an insecticide, which can double...
s. It is used as one of a battery of pyrethroid insecticides in control of malarial vectors, particularly Anopheles gambiae, and whilst being the most employed pyrethroid insecticide, can be used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, permethrin, cypermethrin and other organophosphate-based insecticides, such as malathion and fenthion. Resistance to deltamethrin (and its counterparts) is now extremely widespread and threatens the success of worldwide vector control programmes.
Resistance to deltamethrin
Resistance has been characterised in several important vectors of malaria, including Anopheles gambiae. Methods of resistance include thickening of the cuticle of the vector to facilitate less permeation of the insecticide, metabolic resistance via overexpression of metabolising P450 mono-oxygenases and glutathione-S-transferases, and the kdr sodium channel mutations which render the action of insecticides ineffectual, even when co-administered with piperonyl butoxidePiperonyl butoxide
Piperonyl butoxide is an organic compound used as pesticide synergist, especially for pyrethroids and rotenone. It does not by itself have pesticidal properties. However, when added to insecticide mixtures, typically pyrethrin, pyrethroid, and carbamate insecticides, their potency is increased...
. Characterisation of the different forms of resistance has become a top priority in groups studying tropical medicine
Tropical medicine
Tropical medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with health problems that occur uniquely, are more widespread, or prove more difficult to control in tropical and subtropical regions....
due to the high mortality of those who reside in endemic areas (Muller, Pie, et al. (2008). Field caught Permethrin-Resistant Anopheles gambiae overexpress CYP6P3, a P450 that metabolises pyrethroids,PLoS Genetics 4(11)).
In humans
While deltamethrin is easy to use and very effective, it should always be treated with caution. It should be applied according to the instructions that come with the insecticide. When care is not taken, deltamethrin poisoning can occur.Since deltamethrin is a neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
, it attacks the nervous system. Skin contact can lead to tingling or reddening of the skin local to the application. If taken in through the eyes or mouth, a common symptom is facial paraesthesia, which can feel like many different abnormal sensations, including burning, partial numbness, "pins and needles", skin crawling, etc. There are no reports indicating that chronic intoxication from pyrethroid insecticides causes motor neuron damage or motor neuron disease. However, in 2011, a case report was published demonstrating pathologically proven motor neuron death in a Japanese woman after acute massive ingestion of pesticides containing pyrethroids and organochlorine.
Recently, in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, residues of deltamethrin were found in breast milk
Breast milk
Breast milk, more specifically human milk, is the milk produced by the breasts of a human female for her infant offspring...
, together with DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
, in an area that used DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
treatment for malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
control, as well as pyrethroids in small-scale agriculture.
There are no antidote
Antidote
An antidote is a substance which can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek αντιδιδοναι antididonai, "given against"....
s, and treatment must be symptomatic, as approved by a physician. Over time, deltamethrin is metabolized
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
, with a rapid loss of toxicity, and passed from the body. A poison control center
Poison control center
A poison control center is a medical facility that is able to provide immediate, free, and expert treatment advice and assistance over the telephone in case of exposure to poisonous or hazardous substances...
should be contacted in the event of an accidental poisoning.
In domestic animals
Cases of toxicity have been observed in cattleCattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, following use of agricultural deltamethrin preparation in external application in tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
control. Symptoms appeared 36 hours after the application, and included muscular tremors that lead to decubitus
Decubitus
Commonly used in medicine, the word decubitus is used to mean "lying down". It is derived from the Latin verb “decumbere” meaning "to lie down"....
12 hours later. After 12 hours, there was spontaneous recovery and the animal could stand up again, although the muscular tremors persisted. The body temperature was then 38.3°C. (normal range 38.0 to 39.5°C.).
External links
- Deltamethrin General Fact Sheet - National Pesticide Information Center
- Deltamethrin Technical Fact Sheet - National Pesticide Information Center
- Data Sheet on Pesticides No. 50 - IPCS INCHEM
- Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids Fact Sheet - National Pesticide Information Center
- Deltamethrin Pesticide Information Profile - Extension Toxicology Network