Biopotency of Moringa oleifera seed extracts on selected mosquitoes

A growing body of literature emphasises Domestic Water Storage Containers as important breeding sites for disease transmitting mosquitoes throughout the tropics. In this study, Aedes aegypti, Anopheles gambiae s.s and Culex quinquefasciatus were identified to breed in commonly used DWSC within the City of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Crude extracts of defatted seed of the pan-tropical tree; Moringa oleifera showed various bioactivities on first and third instar larvae, and on gravid females of all these three mosquito species. Given the presence of a water clarifying component in M. oleifera seeds, these findings could be an additional basis to substitute imported coagulants with M. oleifera seed extracts for water treatment in the tropical developing countries like Tanzania.