An acetone extract of <i>Clausena</i> <i>anisata</i> may be a potential control agent for flies encountered in cutaneous myiasis

Abstract

Clausena anisata is a medicinal plant used traditionally to treat myiasis and as an insect repellent by various communities. We have previously demonstrated the effects of C. anisata extracts on blowfly feeding and development in our laboratory. The impact of C. anisata leaf extracts on populations of different fly species on farms in Mpumalanga, South Africa was investigated in this study under field conditions. Flies were exposed to liver baits treated with acetone leaf extracts of C. anisata (150 mg/mL). Fly numbers and composition on two farms, with and without C. anisata treated liver, were compared during a period of 12 weeks when fly populations were expected to be high. Observations were made on fly behaviour and development, adult sizes and numbers. The flies exposed to liver treated with the leaf extract of C. anisata had a decreased rate of development, prolonged larval period, smaller body sizes and more sluggish behaviour compared to those subjected to the control treatment. No significant differences were, however, found between the numbers and sizes of flies on the treated and on the control farm, which was most likely due to the limited nature of the baiting programme we followed. The effects of C. anisata extracts on blowfly behaviour and development observed in previous laboratory studies were confirmed in this field evaluation. Although the extracts did not have a significant effect on the overall population size in this experiment, we believe that the C. anisata leaf extract could be useful in integrated pest management based on its effect on larval development. In addition, species such as Lucilia cuprina and Chrysomya marginalis seemed to have been repelled by the C. anisata treated liver; as a result, further work should explore this aspect and how it can be used for the protection of animals.

Potential of essential oils to prevent fly strike and their effects on the longevity of adultLucilia sericata

“…Clausena anisata (horsewood) is a medicinal plant used as a maggot‐expelling agent to treat myiasis (Chavunduka 1976). An acetone extract of C. anisata repelled the blow flies from the baits (Mukandiwa et al 2016). In test situations , Lucilia cuprina laid only very few egg masses on fleece to which 0.5% of the repellent 1,1‐Bis(4‐ethoxyphenyl)‐2‐nitropropane (GH74) had been applied, and which had been exposed in the field for up to six months.…”

The use of Clausena anisata in insect pest control in Africa: A review

“…The effects of C. anisata on the behaviour and development of blowfly larvae have been investigated (Mukandiwa et al, 2012a, b;2016a). In both laboratory and field studies, where fly larvae were exposed to meat or liver baited with the acetone leaf extracts (10mg/ml -150mg/ml).…”

“…Ivermectin was used as a positive control while acetone and water served as solvent controls. Developmental anomalies in the larvae, which included paralysis, prolongation of the larval stage, reduced pupation rates and pupae malformations (Mukandiwa et al, 2012a, b;2016a) were reported. The authors have suggested that these effects indicate that the plant extracts interfere with neuroendocrine control of movement and moulting in the blowfly (Mukandiwa et al, 2012a, b).This may be due to the presence of coumarins and alkaloids within the plant species (as discussed earlier) which are known to inactivate the acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) (Aniszewski, 2007;Khanikor et al, 2013).…”

Optimization of dynamic maceration of Clausena anisata (Willd.) Hook. f. ex Benth. leaves to maximize trans-anethole content

“…is a herbal medicinal plant belonging to the Rutaceae or Citrus family. It has been investigated for several activities including analgesic [1], antidiabetic [2,3], anti-inflammatory [4,5], antimalarial [1], antimicrobial [3,[6][7][8][9], antioxidant [3,10,11], antipyretic [4], cytotoxic [6], larvicidal [12][13][14][15][16], smoking cessation aid [17], and wound healing [11] effects. The five major compounds containing in essential oils of C. anisata leaves growing in North-Central Nigeria are anethole (31.3%), trans-β-ocimene (20.0%), caryophyllene (10.5%), estragole (6.9%), and α-pinene (6.7%) [18].…”