Abstract

Vector-borne diseases constitute 17 of the global burden of infectious diseases. Among them, malaria, with 247 million cases and one million deaths in 109 countries, stands first. Plant extracts can be used as an alternative to synthetic insecticides. This will minimize environmental hazards and vector resistance rate. In one such bioassay at Mysore, India, on Anopheles stephensi an urban malarial vector, extracts of Rue (Ruta graveolens) plant leaves, alone and with cypermethrin, produced promising larvicidal results. Petroleum ether extract with LC50 of 43.5 ppm and LC90 of 90.6 ppm was found to be the best. The co-toxicity coefficient and synergistic factor for the 1: 1 mixture were 119.4 and 9.94, respectively, for the LC50 at 24th hour. Mixtures of phytochemicals and insecticides were found to be more effective than insecticides or phytochemicals alone and could be a good ecofriendly approach to reduce the dose of chemicals to be applied in vector control programs. Besides, such mixtures could reduce the costs, prolong lifetime of available insecticides, and regulate insecticide resistance as part of integrated vector management. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.