Essential Oils and Bioproducts for Flea Control: A Critical Review

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Entomology
• Public Health
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Fleas pose significant risks to animal and human health, transmitting diseases.
• Synthetic insecticides face limitations and environmental concerns, necessitating safer alternatives.
• Essential oils (EOs) and their bioactive compounds are explored for pest control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the efficacy of EOs and their constituents against medically and veterinarily important fleas.
• To identify plant species and compounds with significant insecticidal and repellent activities.
• To assess the potential of EOs as sustainable flea control agents.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases (May-August 2025).
• Inclusion and exclusion criteria applied to select relevant studies.
• Analysis of 25 selected studies focusing on flea species, botanical sources, and observed effects.

Main Results:

• Ctenocephalides felis and Xenopsylla cheopis were the most studied flea species.
• Lamiaceae, Cupressaceae, Rutaceae, and Lauraceae were the most common plant families.
• Effective EOs for C. felis included Cinnamomum spp., Ocimum gratissimum; for X. cheopis, Cinnamomum verum, Calocedrus decurrens.
• Cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and dillapiole demonstrated potent insecticidal activity.
• EOs also showed repellent activity against C. felis, Pulex irritans, and Diamanus montanus.

Conclusions:

• Essential oils and their bioactive compounds are effective against fleas.
• These natural products offer sustainable alternatives to synthetic insecticides.
• EOs have significant potential for integrated flea management strategies in veterinary and public health.