Mosquitoes are known as the vectors of a variety of illnesses that are caused by pathogenic agents. A. aegypti, for instance, is known for transmitting dengue and yellow fever; Malaria is caused by A. stephensi and filariasis by Culex sp. Currently, there are over 120 million infected people by filariasis all around the world, as well as more than 1400 million people, from around 73 countries, at risk of suffering from this illness. The most appropriate method of control for avoiding the infestation of mosquitoes is the prevention of their breeding by means of larvicides. The continuous use of synthetic insecticides has developed resistance in mosquitoes, while essential oils are an outstanding source of bioactive compounds able to perform as larvicides, insect growth regulators, oviposition inhibitors as well as repellents. In addition to this, essential oils degrade easily and are safe to non-target organisms such as human beings. The objective of this research was to evaluate the essential oils of M. spicata, E. globulus, R. officinalis, C. ambrosides and C. nardus as potential agents to control Culex quinquefasciatus larvae according to WHO protocols? and to characterize their bioactive compounds by GC-MS. In this poster we will present LC50 and LC100 values obtained for each of the evaluated essential oils which in some cases were similar in activity to malathion. These essential oils show promise as potential botanical insecticides against C. quinquefasciatus larvae.

Bioguided resarch of Colombian flora for the search of essential oils with larvicidal activity

248th National Meeting (2014)

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