Environmental Control of Mosquitoes: A Case Study of the Effect of Mangifera Indica Root-Bark Extracts (Family Anacardiaceae) on the Larvae of Anopheles Gambiae

Due to the environmental and health concerns associated with chemical-based insecticides, researchers have focused on suitable alternative and plants have emerged as a credible candidate. This study evaluated the effect of Mangifera indica root-bark extracts on larvae of Anopheles gambiae. The Anopheles gambiae larvae used for this study was obtained from the field. Some of the larvae were allowed to develop into an adult, and they were identified following standard protocols. The larvae were exposed to methanolic and ethanolic extracts of Mangifera indica root-bark for 24 hours. Results revealed a significant deviation (p<0.05) across the concentrations. The mortality rate increased as the concentration of the plant extracts increased. The LC50 values were 395.09 ppm and 455.83 ppm for ethanolic and methanolic extracts, respectively of Mangifera indica root-bark. The ethanolic extract of the plant part possess superior activity against the larvae compared to the methanolic extracts. Therefore, there is a need for research to be carried out to ascertain the compounds responsible for the larvicidal potentials of the plant part under study.

Keywords: Control of Tropical vectors, Malaria vector, Mangifera indica, Public health