Abstract
We evaluated the effectiveness of benzalkonium-ion intercalated aluminium triphosphate (BIAT) in vitro as a larvicide against the second-stage larvae and fertilized eggs of Toxocara canis (T. canis). More than 6.25 mg/ml of BIAT killed second-stage T. canis larvae within 30 minutes, and all larvae observed died at the concentration of 0.025 mg/ml after 6 hours of incubation with BIAT. In addition, BIAT had a larvicidal effect against larvae in eggs when they were incubated with BIAT from the beginning of their development. However, this effect was not observed with eggs that had already matured into infective larvae. These data suggest that chemical sterilization of T. canis might be achieved with use of BIAT.
Keyword: Toxocara canis, benzalkonium, environmental hazard, sandpits, larvicidal compound