Plant extracts are becoming an increasingly precious source of eco-friendly pest
control tools. This work investigated for the first time the validity of hexane and
methanol extracts of Saussurea costus against four cattle and camel ectoparasites
through envelop treatments. For phytochemical analyses, Gas ChromatographyMass Spectrometry was used. All mortalities were significantly diverse from the
controls (P>0.05). The mortality (MO)% of Hyalomma dromedarii seven days
after treatment (AT) with 12.5 and 25 mg/ml of methanol and hexane extracts was
100 and 90% and LC50 values were 1.37 and 2.33 mg/ml, respectively. Meanwhile,
such values against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus were 100 and 93.33%
plus 1.23 and 1.95 mg/ml, respectively. Both extracts completely killed the cattle
lice, Haematopinus eurysternus, one and three days AT with 6.3 mg/ml and LC50
values were 0.31 plus 0.57 mg/ml, respectively. The MO% seven days after
treatment of the louse fly, Hippobosca maculata, with extracts of methanol and
hexane (12.5 mg/ml) was 100% and LC50 values were 1.26 and 0.63 mg/ml,
respectively. S. costus extracts had mainly sesquiterpene, fatty acid esters, phenols,
and acyclic hydrocarbons. This study proved the innovative use of S. costus
extracts against hematophagous arthropods of camel and cattle. The eco-friendly
use of methanol extract would be a helpful approach to prevent vector- borne
diseases infecting large animals. Future studies could be directed to studying the
safety profile of S. costus against non- target organisms.