INSECTICIDAL ACTIVITY OF Azadirachta indica, Lantana camara and Citrus aurantifolia EXTRACTS AGAINST THE MALARIA VECTOR MOSQUITO (Anopheles gambiae s l.) IN BAUCHI STATE, NORTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Malaria is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Globally, millions of deaths attributed to malaria are still being recorded. The disease constitutes a huge epidemiologic burden in Africa and continues to cripple the economic development in the region. Malaria remains the most important and endemic parasitic disease all over Nigeria, with 90% of over 140 million population at risk of infection accounting for 63% of the diseases reported in health care facilities across the six geographical zones of the country, 30% childhood death, 25% death in children under one year and 11% maternal death. The financial loss due to malaria annually is estimated to be about 132 billion Naira in form of treatment costs, prevention, loss of man hours.

This present study concentrates on the potential of some selected plant extracts to control the larvae of mosquito from the breeding sites. Results obtained from this study indicated that different concentrations of the plant extracts have different effects on the larvae of the malaria vector mosquitoes and hence indicated their high potential as larvacides which increase with increase in concentration. The Nepeta cataria shows highest mortality ratio at different concentration of the extract with LC₅₀ of 0.98mg/L. The phytochemical screening shows the three extract to contain active chemicals of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and terpenoids at different concentrations. The study concluded that the extracts are very active against the larva of the mosquito, therefore more effort should be made to harness the potential of these available raw material as botanical pesticide.