Abstract
Plant extracts are becoming an increasingly precious source of eco-friendly pest control tools. This work investigated for the first time the validity of hexane and methanol extracts of Saussurea costus against four cattle and camel ectoparasites through envelop treatments. For phytochemical analyses, Gas ChromatographyMass Spectrometry was used. All mortalities were significantly diverse from the controls (P>0.05). The mortality (MO)% of Hyalomma dromedarii seven days after treatment (AT) with 12.5 and 25 mg/ml of methanol and hexane extracts was 100 and 90% and LC50 values were 1.37 and 2.33 mg/ml, respectively. Meanwhile, such values against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus were 100 and 93.33% plus 1.23 and 1.95 mg/ml, respectively. Both extracts completely killed the cattle lice, Haematopinus eurysternus, one and three days AT with 6.3 mg/ml and LC50 values were 0.31 plus 0.57 mg/ml, respectively. The MO% seven days after treatment of the louse fly, Hippobosca maculata, with extracts of methanol and hexane (12.5 mg/ml) was 100% and LC50 values were 1.26 and 0.63 mg/ml, respectively. S. costus extracts had mainly sesquiterpene, fatty acid esters, phenols, and acyclic hydrocarbons. This study proved the innovative use of S. costus extracts against hematophagous arthropods of camel and cattle. The eco-friendly use of methanol extract would be a helpful approach to prevent vector- borne diseases infecting large animals. Future studies could be directed to studying the safety profile of S. costus against non- target organisms.