ABSTRACT
Ticks from Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex are widely distributed in the world and one species from this complex is the most common tick on dogs in Brazil, notably in urban areas. This tick is a vector of several diseases. Among others it transmits the agent of canine Ehrlichiosis, a major dog infectious disease and the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This tick can spread rapidly and develop intolerable infestations within no time. Currently tick control is done with acaricides and demand for such drugs has grown fast. However, R. sanguineus has already developed resistance to the main active compounds and the development of new acaricides is necessary. Many essential oils of plants have acaricidal effect and may be an important source of molecules for the synthesis of new acaricide products. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a new herbal phytotherapic, consisting of the essential oil of Tagetes minuta L., against R. sanguineus in vitro and on dogs undergoing experimental infestations. The product displayed 100% efficacy against larvae, nymphs and adults of the tick on all tested conditions.
Subject(s)
Dog Diseases/drug therapy , Oils, Volatile/pharmacology , Oils, Volatile/therapeutic use , Rhipicephalus sanguineus/drug effects , Tagetes/chemistry , Tick Control , Tick Infestations/veterinary , Acaricides/pharmacology , Acaricides/therapeutic use , Animals , Brazil , Dog Diseases/parasitology , Dog Diseases/prevention & control , Dogs , Female , Larva/drug effects , Larva/growth & development , Male , Nymph/drug effects , Nymph/growth & development , Rhipicephalus sanguineus/growth & development , Tick Infestations/drug therapy , Tick Infestations/parasitology , Tick Infestations/prevention & controlABSTRACT
The Rhipicephalus microplus tick is globally regarded as the most economically important ectoparasite of livestock, and the evolution of resistance to commercial acaricides among cattle tick populations is of great concern. The essential oil derived from Tagetes minuta may be efficacious against cattle tick infestation, and the results of a cattle pen trial using this essential oil for the control of ticks are reported here. The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy analyses, which revealed the presence of four major components in the essential oil. These components represent more than 70% of the essential oil: limonene (6.96%), ß-ocimene (5.11%), dihydrotagetone (54.10%) and tagetone (6.73%). The results of the cattle pen trial indicated significant differences among the average values of the analyzed biological parameters, including the number of ticks, the average weight of the ticks, the average egg weight per engorged female and larval viability. Treatment with the T. minuta essential oil prepared in this study promoted significant effects on all biological indicators analyzed. Based on the biological indicators, the essential oil showed 99.98% efficacy compared to the control group when used at a 20% concentration. The results obtained in this study suggest that the T. minuta essential oil is a potential R. microplus tick control agent and may be used to mitigate the economic losses caused by tick infestation.
Subject(s)
Cattle Diseases/prevention & control , Oils, Volatile/pharmacology , Plant Oils/pharmacology , Rhipicephalus , Tagetes/chemistry , Tick Infestations/veterinary , Animals , Cattle , Female , Insecticides/chemistry , Insecticides/pharmacology , Larva/drug effects , Oils, Volatile/chemistry , Oviposition/drug effects , Plant Oils/chemistry , Tick Infestations/parasitology , Tick Infestations/prevention & controlABSTRACT
The control of tick species that affect animal production is vital for the economic welfare of the cattle industry. This study focused on testing the acaricidal activity of the essential oil from the leaves and stems of Tagetes minuta against several Brazilian tick species, including Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Amblyomma cajennense and Argas miniatus. The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by chromatography and spectroscopy analyses, which revealed the presence of monoterpenes. The adult immersion test (AIT) and the larval packet test (LPT) were used to evaluate the efficacy of T. minuta essential oil in tick management at concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40%. The results demonstrated that the T. minuta essential oil had over 95% efficacy against four species of ticks at a concentration of 20%. These results suggest that the essential oil of T. minuta could be used as an environmentally friendly acaricide.(AU)
O controle de carrapatos que causa impacto na produção de bovinos possui importância econômica para a cadeia produtiva. Neste trabalho objetivou-se testar a atividade acaricida do óleo essencial das folhas e caules de Tagetes minuta contra várias espécies de carrapatos brasileiros, incluindo Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Amblyomma cajennense e Argas miniatus. A composição química do óleo foi determinada por GC-MS e análises de espectroscopia de RMN, que revelaram a presença de monoterpenos. Na avaliação destas substâncias no controle do carrapato foram empregados os testes de imersão de adulto (TIA) e o de pacote de larvas (TPL) para o extrato de óleo de T. minuta nas concentrações de 2,5%; 5%; 10%; 20% e 40%. Os resultados do TPL e TIA demonstraram que o óleo essencial na concentração de 20% de T. minuta apresenta eficácia superior a 95% nas quatro espécies de carrapato. Estes resultados sugerem que o óleo essencial de T. minuta pode ser usado como um acaricida eficaz e com baixo impacto ambiental.(AU)