Culex quinquefasciatus (Say, 1823)

Mituiassu, L. M. P., Serdeiro, M. T., Vieira, R. R. B. T., Oliveira, L. S. & Maleck, M., 2022, Momordica charantia L. extracts against Aedes aegypti larvae, Brazilian Journal of Biology (e 236498) 82, pp. 1-6 : 2

Culex quinquefasciatus (Say, 1823) and Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) ( Singh et al., 2006; Pari et al., 2020).

With the increasing epidemic cases of dengue fever, chikungunya and zika,the A.aegypti mosquito has become an important public health issue, since it presents the greatest dispersion in urban areas of the world ( Gould et al., 2017). Moreover, this species is the main vector of the viruses which cause these diseases ( Gould et al., 2017). Several factors have promoted recurrence of dengue epidemics and other diseases transmitted by A. aegypti , such as the proliferation of mosquitoes, rapid demographic growth associated with intensive and disorganized urbanization and inadequate infrastructure, among other factors ( Mendonça et al., 2009).

Efforts toward the prevention of arboviral diseases transmitted by the A. aegypti mosquito are aimed at the reduction of vector density through epidemiological surveillance and vector-control strategies ( Brasil, 2009). Although it is recognize the importance of social participation and community involvement to avoid high levels of insect infestation, the chemical control is an important strategy in endemic areas that can be accomplished through the application of chemical pesticides (larvicides and insecticides) ( Brasil, 2009). However, the indiscriminate overuse of those pesticides gradually increases the ability of the A. aegypti mosquito to tolerate synthetic chemical insecticides, impairing their effectiveness ( Naqqash et al., 2016).This is a factor that associated with the need for less toxic products for both human health and the environment, increases the interest for exploring new approaches to higher effectiveness in the control of A. aegypti (Pavela, 2016; Benelli, 2018; Muangmoon et al., 2018).

Rahuman and Venkatesan (2008) highlight that plant extracts and essential oils can indeed be alternative sources for controlling mosquito larvae, as well as constituting a rich source of bioactive and biodegradable compounds into a nontoxic product potentially suitable for use in mosquito larvae control.

Plants offer an extraordinary diversity of metabolites with proven efficacy against insects of medical and veterinary importance, as well as other insect species considered agricultural pests ( Formentini et al., 2016; Panchal and Tiwari, 2017; Spochacz et al., 2018; Cruz et al., 2019).

Thus, insecticidal plant extracts have emerged as a subject of study and have been evaluated as an alternative for integrated management of crop pests. They may also be a good alternative for controlling vectors of diseases (Pavela, 2016).

The present study contributes to a promissing alternative for combating the causative agent of urban yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya and zika through the use of M.charantia extracts.This plant has gained great importance due to its medicinal properties, which has led to the need for further studies assessing additional benefits, such as the action of M. charantia leaf, fruit and flower extracts on the larvae of A. aegypti .