Researchers find larvicidal agents in plants that can check dengue-causing mosquito

While the armed forces strategy to tame this tiger mosquito has helped bring down the number of dengue cases, at AFMC, researchers tried to test botanical methods of controlling this vector-borne disease.

Pune new, Maharashtra, plants that can kill mosquitoes, Plants to check number of mosquitoes, Armed Forces Medical College, WHO Pesticides Evaluation Scheme, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Maharashtra news

At the inauguration of the XIIth Joint National Conference of Indian Society for Malaria and other Communicable Diseases on Friday. Express

At the entomology laboratory of Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), scientists have found promising larvicidal agents in common plants that can control the deadly dengue-causing mosquito. Studies in the last two to three years at AFMC’s Department of Community Medicine have been able to show water-based extracts of four commonly found plants tested as potential larvicide (an agent for killing larvae) against aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito that can spread dengue, chikungunya and other diseases.

These plant extracts could be a fatal weapon in the present-day larvicidal armamentarium, researchers at AFMC said, adding that they have shown cent percent mortality even at level below recommended by WHO Pesticides Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES).

Vector control can play a key role in prevention and control of diseases like malaria, dengue and others. Dengue is endemic in the country and till August this year, data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) shows that there have been 36,635 lab-confirmed cases due to this disease. There were 16,530 cases of dengue in Kerala, 6,919 in Tamil Nadu, 5,728 in Karnataka, 1,080 in Andhra Pradesh, 883 in Gujarat and 718 cases in Maharashtra.

While the armed forces strategy to tame this tiger mosquito has helped bring down the number of dengue cases, at AFMC, researchers tried to test botanical methods of controlling this vector-borne disease. Other than insecticides, the experts looked at other eco-friendly strategies to manage this vector. “So we looked at aqueous extracts of four plants — Cuscuta reflexa (Amarbel), Butea monosperma (Palash), Bougainvillea spectabilis and Saraca asoca. These plant extracts were tested against laboratory-bred mosquito larvae and wild mosquito larvae at the entomology laboratory at the AFMC. They tested as potential larvicide against aedes aegypti,” Dr Rina Tilak, scientist at the department told The Indian Express. The findings of these studies have been presented at various conferences and have picked up prizes, including the Avishkar award from the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.

Taming the Tiger Mosquito: Armed Forces Strategy

Air Marshal Pawan Kapoor, Director General of Medical Services (DGMS, Air Force), Friday said that the incidence of dengue had come down across all Air Force stations. He said that there had been a definite decrease in the number of dengue cases and they had shared the model with the National Centre for Disease Control and National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme authorities.

Speaking with mediapersons on the sidelines of the XIIth Joint National Conference of Indian Society for Malaria and other Communicable Diseases (ISMOCD) and the Indian Association of Epidemiologists (IAE), organised at the Armed Forces Medical College from September 1-3, Air Marshal Kapoor said they had formulated a new strategy “I Reach”.

“This involves roping in resource experts for augmenting community health. Here, we call primary care physicians – they are the ones who are monitoring the fever cases at the community level – and administer them a multiple choice questionnaire through the air force network. Half the questions are based on knowledge and the other half are application-based. This research helps us address their knowledge gap – be it knowledge about prevention of the disease, treatment and such. We go back on the Air Force network and bridge this gap. These good practices are now being implemented on ground and has helped bring down the incidence,” Air Marshal Kapoor said.

Story continues below this ad

In his presentation, “Taming the Tiger Mosquito: The Armed Forces Strategy”, Brig A K Jindal, Deputy Director General, food inspection, Army HQ, New Delhi, said that they have adopted a proactive strategy. “Our teams were deputed at each Station Health Organisation in the country to check for breeding sites. Fever-testing kits and reporting each case has helped us tame this mosquito,” he said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories