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DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1394960
Repulsive, irritant and toxic activities of essential oils against yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti
There has been renewed interest in finding a use for natural plant extracts as alternative sources for pesticides since these extracts and their constituent compounds are normally considered safer than chemicals for human health and environment [1]. In this respect, medicinal and aromatic plants from the French Guyana and Martinique (Carribean Island) were evaluated for anti-mosquito activity against Aedes aegypti. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and their chemical profiles were determined using GC/FID and GC-MS. The identification of the separated volatile organic compounds was accomplished through comparison of mass spectra of peaks with those stored in NIST and Wiley libraries Additional confirmation was achieved by comparison of retention indices from compound peaks. Repulsive, irritant and toxic effects of essential oil were tested at 1 and 0.1% on adult female. Interesting results were found with some essential oils inducing strong toxicity compared to DEET (N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide). Furthermore noteworthy knock-down effect, similar to commercial pyrethroid, was also observed. In this case, essential oil exposure at both concentrations (1 and 0.1%) induced physiological troubles for mosquitoes.
Keywords: Essential oil, anti-mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti, GC-MS
References:
[1] Isman IB (2006) Annu Rev Entomol 51:45 – 66