Comparative Studies of Repellent Activity of 5 Essential Oils Extracted from Plants in Jos North Plateau State against Mosquito Bites
Idoko Ogbe
University of Jos, Nigeria.
Jennifer Ene Idoko
Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Nigeria.
Onyike Onyinyechi Gift
University of Jos, Nigeria.
Hillary Ehgomare Okan
NVRI VOM, Nigeria.
Elizabeth Ogbe
University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The ability of the mosquitoes to repel five essential oils from plants at four different concentrations was evaluated against the mosquito Aedes aegypti under certain conditions in the laboratory using human subjects. 0.2 mL of the oil was applied per 25 cm2 of exposed skin of the volunteer’s forearm. When the tested oils were applied and evaluated at a 5%, 10%, 15% concentration, the mosquito bites were not prevented for as long as 1 hour. However, the undiluted oils of Ginger, Garlic, and Lemon grass were the most efficient and shows 1 h of complete repellent. The initial results indicate that four concentrations (5%, 10%, 15% of Ginger, Lemon grass and Turmeric were used) for repellency tests against Anopheles dirus. The undiluted oil indicated the highest protection in each case of the test as expected which is in agreement with previous work Ginger oil resulted in the longest duration of 100% repellency (3 to 4 hours) against the Anopheles dirus species of mosquito.
Keywords: Turmeric, mosquito, repellent activity