A REVIEW ON BIODIVERSITY OF SOME MEDICINAL AND WILD PLANTS AND THEIR POSSIBLE ROLE IN VECTOR- BORNE DISEASES AND VECTOR CONTROL

In the search for alternatives to conventional insecticides, plants have been widely investigated. Their toxic activities toward insects have drawn special interest during the last decade. Mosquitoes are nuisance pests and a major vector for the transmission of several life-threatening diseases. Vector and vector-borne diseases like Malaria, Chikungunya, Dengue and many more are becoming a big problem to public health these days as they have social and economic impact especially in subtropical and tropical countries. The present proliferation of these diseases is basically due to the increasing resistance of mosquitoes to current insecticides. In many parts of the world, plant-derived products have been used to repel or kill mosquitoes and other domestic insect pests. Plants may be a source of alternative agents for control of insects and parasites because they are rich in bioactive chemicals, active against a limited number of species including specific target insects or parasites, and are biodegradable. Whereas synthetic drugs and insecticides often cause widespread toxicity and harmful side effects to the end user other than targeted pathogen carrier. Therefore, After completed literature survey conclude that the uses of environment-friendly and biodegradable natural insecticides of plant origin have received renewed attention as agents for insect control and plant products are good source for provide the medicinal aspects and also for insecticides that are essential for elimination of vector and vector-borne diseases.

The present review is mainly focused on the potential of some commonly grown plants for their anti-plasmodial or insecticidal properties. These plants can be a good alternate for many vector- borne diseases if their products are properly formulated.