Mosquito Larvicidal Activity of Trichilia emetica Vahl. (Meliaceae)

O Ngassapa; D J David; A R Majala

O Ngassapa Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 65013, Dar es salaam, Tanzania
D J David Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 65013, Dar es salaam, Tanzania
A R Majala Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Institute of Public Health, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Keywords: Trichilia emetica, Azadirachta indica, larvicides, Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus.

Abstract

Various plant parts from Trichilia emetica of Tanzania, were screened for larvicidal activity against Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus. The pericarp methanol extract exhibited LC50 values of 3.5 and 10.8 ppm against An. gambiae and Cx. quinquefasciatus larvae, respectively, while the values were 6.5 and 4.3 ppm respectively, for the seed coat extract Other plant parts had low larvicidal mortality. An extract of the seed kernel of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. was less active than T. emetica, exhibiting LC50 values of 177.8 and 398.1 ppm, against An. gambiae and Cx. quinquefasciatus, respectively. From these preliminary findings T. emetica may be regarded as a promising larvicide, for the control of malaria and other mosquito-transmitted diseases.