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Larvicidal potential of essential oils against Musca domestica and Anopheles stephensi

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Abstract

The larvicidal activity of Mentha piperita, Cymbopogan citratus (lemongrass), Eucalyptus globulus and Citrus sinensis (orange) essential oils and their combinations was evaluated against Musca domestica (housefly) and Anopheles stephensi (mosquitoes) through contact toxicity assay. Among all the tested essential oils/combinations, Me. piperita was found to be the most effective larvicidal agent against Mu. domestica and An. stephensi with LC50 values of 0.66 μl/cm2 and 44.66 ppm, respectively, after 48 h. The results clearly highlighted that the addition of mentha oil to other oils (1:1 ratio) improved their larvicidal activity. The order of effectiveness of essential oils/combinations indicated that the pattern for An. stephensi follows the trend as mentha > mentha + lemongrass > lemongrass > mentha + eucalyptus > eucalyptus > mentha + orange > orange and for Mu. domestica as mentha > mentha + lemongrass > lemongrass > mentha + orange > orange > mentha + eucalyptus > eucalyptus. The images obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicated the toxic effect of Me. piperita as the treated larvae were observed to be dehydrated and deformed. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of tested essential oils/combinations against the larval stages of Mu. domestica and An. stephensi and has the potential for development of botanical formulations.

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Acknowledgments

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Late, Padma Bhushan, Dr VP Sharma, Founder Director of National Institute of Malaria Research (India) & Former Additional Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, who inspired the authors constantly with valuable suggestions on insect pest/vector control. One of the authors (Nitin Chauhan) gratefully acknowledges Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship from UGC, Govt. of India, for conducting the research. The authors are thankful to the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), New Delhi, for providing necessary facilities for larvicidal assays (An. stephensi). We acknowledge the support provided by Ms. Poonam Singh, SRF, NIMR, and the students of Applied Microbiology Lab, IIT Delhi, for their cooperation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Microbiology Laboratory, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India

    Nitin Chauhan & Anushree Malik

  2. Biochemistry Laboratory, Centre for Rural Development and Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India

    Satyawati Sharma

  3. Environmental Epidemiology, National Institute of Malaria Research, Delhi, India

    R. C. Dhiman

Authors
  1. Nitin Chauhan
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  2. Anushree Malik
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  3. Satyawati Sharma
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  4. R. C. Dhiman
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Correspondence to Anushree Malik.

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Chauhan, N., Malik, A., Sharma, S. et al. Larvicidal potential of essential oils against Musca domestica and Anopheles stephensi . Parasitol Res 115, 2223–2231 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-4965-x

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