I Acta hsdrochim.

1 - h

8.MEHTA, R. C. SRIVASTAVA+)
and A. N. GUPTA

Department of Zoology, University of Udaipur, Udaipur-India; +)Department of Entomology,

University of Udaipur, Udaipur-India

Relative Toxicity of Some Non-Insecticidal Chemicals

to the Free Living Larvae Gluinea-Worm (DracwneuZus medinensis)

Introduction
Dracuncdiaaia is typically a disease of rural communities, where people rely mostly
on ponds and step-wells for potable water supply. Lack of basic epidemiologicalknowl-
edge among the population does not deter an infested person, even with blisters,
from to going to water sources for his need, consequently polluting the water with pus,
containing numerous free living larvae of Dracunculua medinensis. The larvae so re-
leased freely move, subsequently to be ingested by cydOp8present therein, where larvae
moult to reach their infective stage.
Earlier attempts were made to control Oyd~pa-the vector of the guinea-worm
disease by treating the water sources with insecticides (see- MULLEEL). Recently, MEETA
et al. suggested the use of non-insecticidal chemicals for the control of Dracunculiasis,
since these chemicals unlike insecticide have relatively less cumulative toxicity to
other forms of life. However, no references on the control of free living larvae of D.
medinensis by either insecticide or non-insecticide chemicals is available. As such, the
authors were prompted to take up studies on the relative toxicities of few noninsectici-
dal chemicals against free living larvae of guinea-worm, with a view to develop a simul-
taneous control of cyclops and larvae by a single treatment dose.

Material and Methods

Seven non-insecticidal chemicals were selected for the present investigation, their
source, purity and form were the same as mentioned by MEHTAet el. Various concen-
.
trations of test chemicals were prepared in glass aqua dest. A number of 20 . . 30 free
living larvae of D. medinensis were exposed in 10 ml of each concentration, which
was replicated thrice. The concentrations which gave approximately 30. . 70% .
mortality were further treated for over a narrower range of concentrations to deter-
mine a mortality-dose curve. Aqua dest. served as the control for each experiment. All
the tests were carried out a t a temperature of 24 f2 O C . A regular supply of guinea-
worm was maintained from a local practioner during March to July. The worm was
cut to release the free living larvae in aqua dest. Invariably, actively motile larvae
were subjected to toxicological tests. These larvae were siphoned off from the stock
and strained through a nylon sieve ; they were immediately transferred to different
treatment dosages. Thereafter, the number of live larvae exposed to each treatment
398 MEHTA, R. C., GUPTA,A. N.
S., SRIVASTAVA,

was counted under a stereoscopic microscope. Mortality was counted after 24 h. The
moribund larvae were also counted as dead. The mortality data, thus obtained, was
subjected to a probit analysis (FINNEY).

Results
The LCs0 values estimated from log concentration - probit mortality are presented
in Tab. 1, Fig. 1. These results indicate that the chlorine water having the lowest LCs0
value of 0.426ppm was most toxic, while sodium bicarbonate had the highest LC,
value of 869 ppm and was least toxic among all the chemicals treated. Based on the
LC,, values against the larvae of D. medinensis, the noninsecticidal chemicals could be
arranged as follows: chlorine water =-potassium permanganate =-common alum zsav-
lon =-quick lime z cetavlon =-sodium bicarbonate.

Table 1. Relative toxicity of free living larvae of Dracunculue medineneie

Tabelle 1, R.elative Toxizitiit von frei lebenden Larven von Draeunculus medinensis

Chemicals Regression equation Fiducial limits LC Relative toxicity

Chlorine water Y =7.808 x* +0.139 0'46026 0.41976 2046.43

0.38282
Potassium
Y = 1.43 Z* + 4.060 0'90782 0.45709 1879.30
permangenate 0.23014
19.498
Common alum Y =2.58 x + 1.880 16.218 52.97
13.459
85.114
Savlon Y 31.98 z f1.810 40.738 21.09
46.774
115.35
Quick lime Y = 2.67 z + 0.010 74.131 11.88
47.643
212.32
Cetavlon Y = 1.54 x +2:040 83.176 10.33
32.584
Sodium bicar- 1109.2
Y = 1.701 z + 0.010 859.01 1.00
bonate 665.27

Y = probit mortality. z= log concentration. = log = concentration XlO,

LCso= Concentration (ppm) calculated to give 60 per cent mortality

Discussion
In India, the use of insecticides in potable water sources is almost forbidden. Recent-
ly, studies were undertaken to test the relative efficacy of non-insecticidal chemicals
against the Cyclops, wherein the use of chlorine water and potassium permanganate
was advocated, since these emerged as drug6 of promise (MEHTAet al.). Consequently,
the relative toxicity of these chemicals against the free-living larvae of D. medinensis
was further investigated.
A comparision of the relative toxicity of these chemicalsagainst the cyCb$38(MEHTA
et al.) and the larval parasite (Tab. 1)revealed that chlorine water proved most toxic
 Relative Toxicity of Chemicals to the Larvae (Dranunculue medineneie) 399

log Conc. 4 10

0
)r -
c
0
04 Q8 $2 16
log Conc. I 10

I,? 14 $5 38 u
4'02,5
$5 3,O 4,O
log Concentration in ppm

a Chlorine Woter
b Pofossium Permongonote
c Common Alum
d Sovlon
7)b $3 2p 42 e Calcium h i d e
f Cetovlon
log Concentration in ppm g Sodium &carbonate
Fig. 1. Standard dosage mortality curve for different chemicals by
aqueous solution method against free living larvae of Dracunculue
medinemis (L.)
Abb. 1. Standard-Dosis-Sterblichkeits-Kurvebei der Einwirkung
verschiedener Chemikalien auf frei lebende Larven von Dracunculece
medinenaie (L.) nach der Methode mit wiihiger Losung.

t o both the test animals, followed by potassium parmanganate. Further, the LCs0
values of both these chemicals against free living larvaeare much lower when compared
with the values for CYdopS; indicating that the larvae are more susceptible to these
chemicals as compared to the cyclops.
I n India, these chemicals are being commonly used in water sources, since t.hey are
considered t o be relatively safe from the point of view of health hazards. Furthermore,
these chemicals are effectively causing mortality of disease-causing pathogenic organ-
isms and micro-organisms in water @TABLES). Considering the facts stated above,
the use of chlorine water or potassium permanganate for the simultaneous control of
cyclops and the larvae of D . medinensis is suggested.
400 R.C., GUPTA,A. N.
MEHTA, S., SBIVASTAVA,

Acknowledgement
The authors are.grateful to the Indiw Council of Yediccll'Reeearch, Govt. of India,for the award
of the project under which the investigation was carried out.

References
CITARLES, R. C. : Operation and control of wafer treatment processes. Geneva, World Health
Organization, 1969.
FINNEY, D. G. : Probit analyeis, Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1952.
MEHTA, SAROJ, A. N. GUPTAand R. C. SSNASTAVA: Comparative toxicity of certain non-inaec-
ticidal chemicals vis-a-vis M ~ S O C Y C ~lezcckarti,
O~S the carrier host of Dracunculosis. Acta
hydrochem. hydrobiol. 10 (1982).
MULLER, R.: Guinea-worm disese: epidemiology, control and treatment. Bull. Wld. Hlth. 0%.67
(1979), 683-689.

Manuektipteingang: 6. 9. 1981.

Anshrift der Verfcaer:

Miss Saroj MEETA, Prof. Dr. R. C. SSNASTAVAund Prof. Dr. A. N. GUPTA,Department of
-
Zoology, University of Udaipur, I N D 31301 Udeipur.