Comparación de la Eficacia del Extracto Citronella (Cymbopogon citratus) Como Repelente Natural en Base Oleosa y un Repelente Comercial en Base Etanolica Contra Mosquitos Adultos de la Especie Aedes aegypti

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the repellent effect of the extract of the plant Citronella (Cymbopogon citratus) on an oily base on mosquitoes of the Aedes aegypti species, a species that transmits relevant diseases in public health such as Yellow Fever, Dengue fever, Chikungunya among others. In order to determine the effectiveness in the repellency of Cymbopogon citratus extract in oily base as a repellent; bioassays were carried out with human volunteers where the effective concentration and protection time were established. To achieve this, tests of the Citronella oil extract were developed in concentrations of 10%, 20%, 30% and 40% comparing the effectiveness of this with the effectiveness and duration of a commercial repellent based on ethanol. The volunteers were exposed to mosquito females in the A. aegypti study, which were in mosquito netting entomological cages, which allowed to verify the repellent effect. The entire procedure was adequate to the guidelines for the effectiveness and testing of mosquito repellents on human skin defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2009). With the above it was determined that the extract of the Citronella plant (Cymbopogon citratus) in oil base proved to have a better effectiveness with the concentration of 40% having a maximum protection time of 1 hour and 30 minutes (90 minutes) which showed that Being in an oily base, it retained the fragrance that is very characteristic of this plant and that is, in theory, what repels mosquitoes. And in the same way it can be observed that the extract in oil base of this plant can serve as a commercial repellent without generating risks in the health of the people since when compared with the commercial repellent on ethanol base it showed that the duration of this one It was also 1 hour and 30 minutes, time that did not peak and / or land mosquitoes of the species under study.