Assessment of the acaricidal activity of Melaleuca armillaris essential oil on ticks

Abstract

Introduction: Ticks cause skin lesions and are important vectors in the transmission of infectious diseases to animals and humans. Its control has been hampered by resistance to synthetic ticks. Objective: To develop a pharmaceutical formula based on Melaleuca armillaris and evaluate its acaricidal action in vitro. Methods: The essential oil and hydrolate were extracted from the leaves of Melaleuca armillaris. Bovine ticks were collected using the counterclockwise manual rotation technique and placed in a test tube. In the second test, the acaricidal action of the essential oil and Melaleuca armillaris hydrolate was compared, using the immersion and sprinkling techniques. In the third trial, two pharmaceutical formulas based on the essential oil of Melaleuca armillaris were developed, tested using the tick immersion technique. In the fourth test, glycerin was evaluated, which makes up the products, which had an acaricidal action. Results: It was observed that the essential oil of Melaleuca armillaris has an acaricide action when applied directly on ticks; the hydrolate, regardless of whether applied by spraying or immersion, does not have acaricide action. Products based on Melaleuca armillaris have acaricide action after 72 hours of application, by immersion in vitro (p=0.000). Conclusion: Two pharmaceutical formulas based on the essential oil of Melaleuca armillaris, with in vitro acaricidal action, were developed.