Département de Génie Chimique, École Polytechnique de Montréal, 2900, boul. Édouard-Montpetit, H3C 3A7, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Agence consultative en éthique de coopération internationale (ACECI), 11 Rue Mugamba, Quartier Rohero II, Bujumbura, Burundi.
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 2;8(1):2235. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18141-z.
Malaria devastates sub-Saharan Africa; the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 212 million people contract malaria annually and that the plasmodium virus will kill 419 000 in 2017. The disease affects rural populations who have the least economic means to fight it. Impregnated mosquito nets have reduced the mortality rate but the Anopheles mosquitoes are changing their feeding patterns and have become more active at dusk and early morning rather than after 22h00 as an adaptation to the nets. Everyone is susceptible to the Anopheles at these times but infants and pregnant women are the most vulnerable to the disease. Plant-based mosquito repellents are as effective as synthetic repellents that protect people from bites. They are sustainable preventative measures against malaria not only because of their efficacy but because the local population can produce and distribute them, which represents a source of economic growth for rural areas. Here, we extract and test the essential oil nepetalactone from Nepeta cataria via steam distillation. Families in endemic areas of Burundi found them effective against bites but commented that the odor was pungent. An epidemiological study is required to establish its clinical efficacy.
疟疾肆虐于撒哈拉以南的非洲地区；世界卫生组织（WHO）估计，每年有 2.12 亿人感染疟疾，而 2017 年疟原虫病毒将导致 41.9 万人死亡。这种疾病影响到农村地区的人口，他们最缺乏抗击疟疾的经济手段。经过驱虫处理的蚊帐降低了死亡率，但疟蚊正在改变其吸血模式，变得更加活跃，黄昏和清晨比晚上 10 点后更活跃，这是对蚊帐的一种适应。在这些时候，每个人都容易受到疟蚊的叮咬，但婴儿和孕妇对这种疾病最脆弱。植物性驱蚊剂与合成驱蚊剂一样有效，可以保护人们免受蚊虫叮咬。它们是针对疟疾的可持续预防措施，不仅因为它们的功效，还因为当地居民可以生产和分发它们，这代表了农村地区经济增长的源泉。在这里，我们通过蒸汽蒸馏从荆芥中提取并测试了荆芥内酯精油。布隆迪疫区的家庭发现它们对叮咬有效，但评论说气味刺鼻。需要进行一项流行病学研究来确定其临床疗效。
