Powdered leaf extracts of Harungana madagascariensis, Margaritaria discoidea, and Antigonon leptopus disrupt larva and pupa stages of a tropical disease vector

Abstract

Objective: To determine the specific effect of leaf powder of Harungana madagascariensis (H. madagascariensis), Margaritaria discoidea (M. discoidea), and Antigonon leptopus (A. leptopus) on the life cycle of Musca domestica (M. domestica). Methods: We tested the effects of the powder extracts of H. madagascariensis, M. discoidea, and A. leptopus on the life cycle of housefly, M. domestica. Adult flies were collected from a refuse dump, maintained under constant conditions: temperature of (27 ± 2) °C and a relative humidity of 75% ± 10%. Flies were sustained on a mixture of ground rice, ground fish, and water at a ratio of 1:1:1.5 (w/v). Plant leaves were dried and crushed into powder and mashed into paste at various concentrations of 2%, 5%, 10% and 15% (w/w). Different life stages of M. domestica were treated with different concentrations of the powdered extracts. Results: H. madagascariensis, M. discoidea, and A. leptopus extended the duration of the 3rd instar larva by 25%, 50% and 75% respectively in comparison to the control. Moreover, the pupal duration and total development time were lengthened while the mean emergence of adult and the corresponding weight of M. domestica were reduced. Conclusions: Leaf powders of H. madagascariensis, M. discoidea, and A. leptopus appear to have promising biological effects in controlling the developmental stages of M. domestica especially if the plants powder concentrations are used above 15%.