Abstract:Larvicidal Activity of Annona squamosa (Atis) Leaves Extract on Aedes aegypti Marisol S. Molina-Adorable, RN, MD, DFM, FPSMSG ABSTRACT Vector-borne diseases (VBDs), particularly mosquito-borne diseases, pose a substantial threat to the population in the world. These VBDs infect over a billion people each year, contributing to more than a million deaths globally. Dengue is one of the VBDs that presents a significant threat to public health and medicine, with its economic and health impacts on the rise. Mosquito vector control measures are crucial for preventing dengue by stopping the spread of mosquito populations and enhancing environmental sanitation to improve public health services. Effective mosquito control is pivotal in the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, but no successful preventive measures have been recorded for dengue vector control. Hence, possible alternatives to chemical larvicides have been explored, including plant alcoholic extracts. This study determined the larvicidal efficacy of Annona squamosa ethanolic leaf extracts against third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti. METHODS. Three replicates of varying concentrations of Annona squamosa ethanolic extract (i.e., 10%, 40%, and 70%) versus positive (Novaluron) and negative controls (tap water) were used to determine larval mortality. RESULTS. Greatest larval mortality was noted using the 70% concentration (i.e., 24% versus the observed values of 20% and 8%, respectively for the 40% and 10% ethanolic concentrations). Relative to the controls, the mean differences in the mortality rates of the Aedes aegypti larvae across the leaf ethanolic concentrations were statistically significant (i.e., p-value < 0.05). There was increasing trend in larval mortality over time, but 50% lethal dose was not achieved. In conclusion, the different Annona squamosa ethanolic leaf extracts could be used as alternative botanical larvicides against Aedes species. KEY WORDS: Annona squamosa, Aedes aegypti mosquito, larvicidal activity
Keywords: Global Health Education and Technology, KEY WORDS: Annona squamosa, Aedes aegypti mosquito, larvicidal activity
