Evaluation of acaricidal activity of different seed oils on Psoroptes cunniculi (Delafond, 1859) (Cheyletidae) in rabbits

Abstract

Context: Mange is one of the common animal diseases worldwide. Lack of tools to evaluate mange severity in animals and to demonstrate its importance has hindered the efforts of veterinarians to control the disease. Objective: This study was design to evaluate the efficacy of oils from five plants against Psoroptes cuniculi in rabbits. Materials and methods: Seed oils of Treculia africana Decne (Moraceae), Pentaclethra macroplylla Benth (Mimosidae), Calophyllum inophyllum Linnaeus (Calophyllaceae), Garcinia mangostana Linn (Guttiferae) and Monodora myristica Gaertn (Annonaceae) were extracted with hexane. Acaricidal activity of the plants and ivermectin was investigated in six groups (five per group) of rabbits naturally infested with psoroptic mites to determine their relative efficacy. Single dose of the oils were applied topically on the affected parts every morning for six weeks and skin scrapings collected weekly to determine mite number. Results: Significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the number of mites (from 1.7 to 0.18 per cm 2 ) was observed in C. inophyllum, which is the most active oil, six weeks post-treatment. Similarly C. inophyllum demonstrated the best activity (89.41%) followed by G. mangostana (88.89%), P. macrophylla (81.45%), T. africana (40.10%) and M. myristica (24.76%). The weight gain of rabbits treated with oil of Calophyllum inophyllum was significantly higher than the rabbits treated with other seed oils and ivermectin. The mean recovery response of C. inophyllum seed oil was better than the other oils. Discussion and conclusion: The results indicate that three of the seed oils could be useful alternatives to synthetic acaricides.