Efficacy of Tagetes minuta (Asteraceae) essential oil against Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) on infested dogs and in vitro

• Published in: Experimental & applied acarology 2016-12, Vol.70 (4), p.483-489
• Main Authors: da Silva, Elis Maressa Gonçalves, Rodrigues, Vinicius da Silva, Jorge, Jaciara de Oliveira, Osava, Carolina Fonseca, Szabó, Matias Pablo Juan, Garcia, Marcos Valério, Andreotti, Renato
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acari; Acaricides; Acaricides - pharmacology; Acaricides - therapeutic use; Animal Ecology; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Animals; Asteraceae; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brazil; Dog Diseases - drug therapy; Dog Diseases - parasitology; Dog Diseases - prevention & control; Dogs; Entomology; Essential oils; Female; Infectious diseases; Ixodidae; Larva - drug effects; Larva - growth & development; Larvae; Life Sciences; Male; Nymph - drug effects; Nymph - growth & development; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Oils, Volatile - therapeutic use; Rhipicephalus sanguineus; Rhipicephalus sanguineus - drug effects; Rhipicephalus sanguineus - growth & development; Tagetes - chemistry; Tagetes minuta; Tick Control; Tick Infestations - drug therapy; Tick Infestations - parasitology; Tick Infestations - prevention & control; Tick Infestations - veterinary; Urban areas
• ISSN: 0168-8162; 1572-9702
• DOI: 10.1007/s10493-016-0092-8

Ticks from Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex are widely distributed in the world and one species from this complex is the most common tick on dogs in Brazil, notably in urban areas. This tick is a vector of several diseases. Among others it transmits the agent of canine Ehrlichiosis, a major dog infectious disease and the agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. This tick can spread rapidly and develop intolerable infestations within no time. Currently tick control is done with acaricides and demand for such drugs has grown fast. However, R . sanguineus has already developed resistance to the main active compounds and the development of new acaricides is necessary. Many essential oils of plants have acaricidal effect and may be an important source of molecules for the synthesis of new acaricide products. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a new herbal phytotherapic, consisting of the essential oil of Tagetes minuta L., against R . sanguineus in vitro and on dogs undergoing experimental infestations. The product displayed 100% efficacy against larvae, nymphs and adults of the tick on all tested conditions.