American scientists from the University of Texas at El Paso discovered that adding a small amount of liquid soap greatly increases the effectiveness of pesticides in combating malaria mosquitoes. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases (PLOS NTD).
The team found that having a detergent in every home increased the effectiveness of some pesticides by more than 10 times.
“Over the last two decades, mosquitoes have become resistant to most insecticides. “The race is now on to develop alternative compounds with new mechanisms of action,” said Dr. Colins Kamdem, lead author of the study.
Laboratory and field trials have shown that a new class of pesticides called neonicotinoids may be a promising alternative to existing mosquito control drugs. But neonicotinoids in their original form do not destroy some types of bloodsuckers.
The team selected three inexpensive linseed oil soaps common in sub-Saharan Africa and added them to four different neonicotinoids: acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, and thiamethoxam.
In all cases, insecticides significantly increased the effectiveness of the drugs, from 30% to 100% of insects killed.
The scientists also tested how adding soap would affect another class of pesticides known as pyrethroids. However, they did not see any benefit in these cases.
The scientific team hopes to conduct further tests to determine exactly how much soap is needed to enhance the effects of pesticides.
Previous scientists developed A vaccine to help eliminate malaria.