University of Texas at El Paso scientists Colince Kamdem, Ph.D., left, and Caroline Fouet, Ph.D., have found that adding small quantities of liquid soap to some classes of pesticides can boost their potency by more than ten-fold.
Credit: The University of Texas at El Paso
Could the solution to the decades-long battle against malaria be as simple as soap? In a new study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso have made a compelling case for it.
The team has found that adding small quantities of liquid soap to some classes of pesticides can boost their potency by more than 10-fold.
The discovery is promising news as malaria-carrying mosquitoes display an increasing resistance to current insecticides, said Colince Kamdem, Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor in UTEP’s Department of Biological Sciences.
“Over the past two decades, mosquitoes have become strongly resistant to most insecticides,” Kamdem said. “It’s a race now to develop alternative compounds with new modes of action.”
Both laboratory tests and field trials have shown that neonicotinoids, a special class of insecticide, are a promising alternative to target populations showing resistance to existing insecticides, said UTEP Research Assistant Professor Caroline Fouet, Ph.D., second author of the study. Neonicotinoids, however, do not kill some mosquito species unless their potency is boosted. In this case, Fouet said, soap is the boosting substance.
Malaria is a devastating mosquito-borne disease that is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America, causing fever, fatigue, headaches and chills; the disease can be fatal. In 2020, there were an estimated 241 million cases of malaria worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control, resulting in 627,000 deaths.
Prior to joining UTEP, Kamdem worked at Cameroon’s Center for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID); it was there that he first caught on to soap’s potency while conducting routine insecticide testing.
Current protocols from the World Health Organization (WHO) for testing mosquitoes’ susceptibility to some insecticides recommend adding a seed oil-based product to insecticide concoctions. Kamdem noticed when the compound was added, mosquito mortality increased from when the insecticide was used on its own.
“That compound belongs to the same class of substances as kitchen soap,” Kamdem said. “We thought, ‘Why don’t we test products that have same properties?'”
He and his team selected three low-cost, linseed-oil based soaps that are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa—Maître Savon de Marseille, Carolin Savon Noir and La Perdrix Savon—and added them to four different neonicotinoids, acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam.
The hunch paid off. In all cases, the insecticides drastically enhanced potency, the team wrote in the study. “All three brands of soap increase mortality from 30 percent to 100 percent compared to when the insecticides were used on their own,” said Ashu Fred, first author of the study and Ph.D. student at Cameroon’s University of Yaoundé 1.
The team also tested the addition of soap to a class of insecticides known as pyrethroids. In those cases, however, they saw no benefits.
The team hopes to conduct additional testing to establish exactly how much soap is needed to enhance insecticides.
“We would love to make a soap-insecticide formulation that can be used indoors in Africa and be healthy for users,” Kamdem said. “There are unknowns as to whether such a formulation will stick to materials like mosquito nets, but the challenge is both promising and very exciting.”
Original Article: In the fight against malaria-carrying mosquitoes, just add soap
More from: University of Texas at El Paso | University of Yaoundé
The Latest Updates from Bing News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Soap-insecticide
- 'Disgust factor' must be overcome if planet-friendly insect food to become mainstream
The "disgust factor" must be overcome if insect-based foods are to become mainstream, according to a study. Insects can be high in protein and making them more acceptable could help cut the high ...
- Sticky trick: new glue spray kills plant pests without chemicals
The insect glue, produced from edible oils ... The oil was then blitzed in a “glorified blender” along with water and a little soap to stop the droplets sticking together. This solution was then ...
- If you hire me to train your dog I'll get soap in its eyes, pat it with a severed hand, and teach it to disembowel your enemies
I'm not trying to genetically engineer a red panda in The Sims 4 this time, I'm just trying to teach a dog some tricks in Animal Trainer Simulator: Prologue. One of those tricks is how to kill a man.
- Cleaning expert shares 24p DIY spray to help get rid of pesky ants from your home
While there are many products out there, one cleaning expert has shared the best to way to say goodbye to ants for good.
- I Tried My Mom’s DIY Solution For Getting Rid Of Bugs On My Climbing Roses And Here’s What I Learned
Trae Crocker, Plant Protection Manager at Monrovia sounded off on where I went wrong with this DIY pest soluti ...
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Anti-malarial soap insecticide
- 'Disgust factor' must be overcome if planet-friendly insect food to become mainstream
The "disgust factor" must be overcome if insect-based foods are to become mainstream, according to a study. Insects can be high in protein and making them more acceptable could help cut the high ...
- Sundew-inspired spray may turn crop plants into pest-catchers
Inspired by a carnivorous plant, scientists have created a sticky spray that could kill pest insects as effectively as traditional toxic pesticides. And what's more, it's derived from plain ol' ...
- Common and dangerous insect bites you could have - symptoms and how to treat them
As the weather heats up across America, millions of people will be heading outdoors to soak up the sun - but it also means being around nature more and getting bitten by insects ...
- Is Tar Soap an Effective Treatment for Psoriasis?
Tar soap is a natural remedy thought to have powerful antiseptic abilities. It’s often used to treat skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. Tar soap is sometimes recommended to relieve ...
- State to spray sinister spongy moths, should you stay inside?
Governor Inslee has declared an emergency over spongy moths, as the insects could seriously threaten our state's environment.