Effectiveness of Aromatherapy in the fight against ectoparasites

Tropical bovine theileriosis is a disease caused by the presence of a specific protozoan: Theileria annulata, transmitted by a vector tick Hyalomma suspense, it represents one of the main constraints to the development and intensification of cattle breeding.The methods used for the control are generally chemical acaricides generating a high cost. In this context is located the object of our work which relates to the discovery of natural acaricides: we tested the effect of essential oils of Mentha pulegium, Ruta chalepensis and Thumus capitaus. The extraction was performed by hydrodistillation, the determination of the chemical composition by GC-MS and the acaricidal activity by the tick immersion test. The results obtained with the EOs showed a remarkable acaricidal activity which varies with the concentration (38.09% for R. chalepensis, 23.80% for M. pelugium and 14.28% for T. capitatus with a concentration of about 128mg/ml).Key words: tropical bovine theileriosis, Theileria annulata, Hyalomma scupense, Mentha pulegium, Ruta chalepensis, Thumus capitatus, acaricide control.