Asian Journal of Advances in Medical Science

Control of diseases transmitted by insect vectors has been through measures that target the adult stage of insects or any of the developmental stages. Often such control is with synthetic insecticides already faced with challenges of resistance by target insects and subsequent environmental pollution. There is therefore need to find alternatives probably plant derived insecticides that will be environmentally friendly. Therefore insecticidal activities of Jatropha curcas leaf extract against the developmental stages of Aedes aegypti was studied in vitro. Developmental stages of Aedes aegypti was incubated in increasing doses of Jatropha curcas leaf extract and mortality measured for 96 hours. The result showed significant difference between mortality among treated animal and control (P < 0.05). Mortality of both larva and pupa of Aedes aegypti treated with Jatropha curcas leaf extract was dose and time dependent. Mortality increased as the concentration of extract increased for all the tested instars and pupal stages. The duration of incubation also influenced mortality. At 72 and 96 hours of incubation all treated larva died in highest concentration of the extract except the 2^nd instar that had mean mortality of 76% at the highest concentration of the leaf extract. Survived larva and pupa after 96 hours in lower concentration could not develop to adult stage. In conclusion Jatropha curcas leaf water extract has insecticidal effects on 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th instar larva and pupa of Aedes aegypti and can be deployed for the control of the insect.