Vigad Nattha, Tarachai Prapakorn, Chansakaow Sunee, Punyapornwithaya Veerasak, Chukiatsiri Kridda
Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Maejo University, Chiangmai 50290, Thailand.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Vet World. 2025 Jun;18(6):1694-1702. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1694-1702. Epub 2025 Jun 26.
Ectoparasites, such as (chicken lice) and (chicken mites), have a significant impact on poultry health and productivity, resulting in substantial economic losses and potential zoonotic risks. Conventional synthetic pesticides, though effective, pose health and environmental concerns. Hence, plant-based alternatives such as essential oils are gaining attention for their insecticidal properties. This study aimed to characterize the physical and chemical properties of citronella () and ginger () essential oils and to evaluate their acaricidal and insecticidal efficacy, both and , against and .
Essential oils were extracted through steam distillation and characterized using specific gravity, refractive index, and optical rotation. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify major chemical constituents. Contact toxicity assays were conducted on adult lice and mites exposed to essential oil combinations (Citronella [CT]: Ginger [G] in ratios of 70:30, 50:50, and 30:70). trials were performed on naturally infested chickens and mite-contaminated nests, with efficacy assessed at days 1, 7, and 14 post-treatment. Statistical analyses employed general linear mixed models and Tukey's tests.
GC-MS revealed citral, neral, and limonene as key constituents of citronella oil, and zingiberene and sesquiphellandrene in ginger oil. All essential oil combinations showed 100% mortality of lice and mites by 24 h. , the CT70:G30 formulation achieved the greatest reduction in lice incidence by day 14 (22.67%), followed by trichlorfon (31.33%). For mites, trichlorfon exhibited the highest efficacy (3.33% incidence on day 14), while CT30:G70 also showed notable reduction (40.97%) with no adverse effects observed in treated birds.
Combinations of citronella and ginger essential oils, particularly CT30:G70, offer a promising natural alternative to chemical pesticides for managing poultry ectoparasites. Their high efficacy, rapid action, and safety profile support their use in organic and sustainable poultry farming.
鸡虱和鸡螨等体外寄生虫对家禽健康和生产性能有重大影响，会导致巨大的经济损失以及潜在的人畜共患病风险。传统的合成农药虽有效，但存在健康和环境问题。因此，诸如香茅油和姜油之类的植物源替代品因其杀虫特性而受到关注。本研究旨在表征香茅油和姜油的物理和化学性质，并评估它们对鸡虱和鸡螨的杀螨和杀虫功效。
通过水蒸气蒸馏法提取香茅油和姜油，并用比重、折射率和旋光度对其进行表征。采用气相色谱 - 质谱联用仪（GC - MS）鉴定主要化学成分。对暴露于香茅油与姜油不同配比（70:30、50:50和30:70）混合精油的成年鸡虱和鸡螨进行接触毒性试验。在自然感染鸡虱的鸡和被螨污染的鸡舍中进行试验，在处理后第1天、第7天和第14天评估疗效。统计分析采用一般线性混合模型和Tukey检验。
GC - MS分析表明，香茅油的主要成分是柠檬醛、橙花醛和柠檬烯，姜油的主要成分是姜烯和倍半水芹烯。所有精油组合在24小时内均使鸡虱和鸡螨的死亡率达到100%。到第14天，CT70:G30配方对鸡虱发生率的降低幅度最大（22.67%），其次是敌百虫（31.33%）。对于鸡螨，敌百虫的疗效最高（第14天发生率为3.33%），而CT30:G70也显示出显著降低（40.97%），且在处理过的鸡中未观察到不良反应。
香茅油和姜油的组合，尤其是CT30:G70，为管理家禽体外寄生虫提供了一种有前景的化学农药天然替代品。它们的高效、快速起效以及安全性支持其在有机和可持续家禽养殖中的应用。
