According to a study published by Malaria Journal, Ethiopian scientists have established that the smell of chicken effectively repels the mosquito that spreads malaria, opening the way to the development of new prevention tools against this endemic disease.
The team led by Habte Tekie, professor of entomology at the University of Addis Ababa, found that the mosquito Anopheles arabiensis, vector of malaria, stings both humans and livestock, but stays away from chickens.
The explanation are
chemical fumes that make the malaria mosquito reject the smell of chicken,”
said Tekie.
The study shows that
the chicken’s (chemical) composition has a strong repellent potential.”
The hypothesis is that the mosquito considers chickens as potential predators and therefore avoid them.
The work carried out in three villages consisted in hanging cages with chickens inside some homes. In the morning, the mosquito traps were empty, contrary to those located in rooms where no chickens were placed.
To avoid sleeping with chickens hanging over the beds, Ethiopian scientists repeated the experience with bottles containing extracts with the smell of chickens, which had the same result.
The Ethiopian team is currently working in collaboration with a Swedish university to develop and test the best possible synthesis of the essence of this repellent.
Malaria affects nearly 200 million people worldwide and causes up to 755,000 deaths per year, mainly in Africa, according to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO).