ACARICIDAL ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF Cassia sieberiana DC (Caesalpiniaceae) on Hyalomma KOCH, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) LARVAE

¹Biu, A.A., ²Abdulkadir, M.A., ¹Konto, M., ¹Mohammed, A., ¹Fadimatu, M. and ²Emmanuel, S.

¹Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri Nigeria

²Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria

E-mail:  biuvet@yahoo.com

Abstract: This study was conducted to assess the acaricidal activity of aqueous extract of Cassia sieberiana stem bark on Hyalomma larvae using the immersion technique. The larvae of Hyalomma species were exposed to extract concentration levels of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% for a duration of 1 hour and mortality recorded as mean ± standard deviation and percentile of 4 replicates post immersion. The mean ± SD of larval mortality ranged between 11.1±4.5 and 17.1±1.5 for 5 and 25% concentrations respectively compared with 1.8±1.4 and 00 for distilled water and normal controls respectively (p < 0.05). The mean ± SD mortality rates ranged between 55.6±23.2 and 85.6±7.3 for 5 and 25% concentrations respectively compared with 8.8±6.9 and 00 for distilled water and normal controls respectively (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study has indicated a positive correlation between extract concentration and larval mortality.