Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry used to look at alternative insecticides for control of malaria

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been used to look into the intesecticidal activity of the essential oils in fruits and seeds taken from Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi against Africa malaria and filarial vectors.

Reported in the Parasites & Vectors journal, research assessed the plant oil against Anopheles gambiae s.s, An. arabiensis and Culex quinquefasciatus.

The twenty third instar larvae of the Anopheles gambiae s.s and Cx. quinquefasciatus were exposed to different dosages of the oil, with mortality rates being observed at 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours.

Gas chromatography, coupled to mass spectrometry, found 15 compounds from the plant extracts, with the most abundant indentified compound being -3-carene.

The mortality of the Cx quinquefasciatus ranged from 0.5 to 96.75 per cent, with An. gambiae recording a rate of 13.75 to 97.91 per cent.

Furthermore, the 24-hour mortality was exactly 100 per cent for S. terebinthifolia and 75 per cent for alphacypermethrin.

Trust.org reported that Policy Cures found investment in malaria research and development has risen from $121 million (£75 million) in 1993 to $612 million in 2009.