Green Management Strategies for Cochliomyia hominivorax Myiasis: Potential of Essential Oils and Nanodelivery Systems

Cochliomyia hominivorax, the main etiological agent of traumatic myiasis in the New World, continues to have significant health and economic impacts due to its effects on animal health, livestock production and public health in affected regions. Although conventional control strategies, including the Sterile Insect Technique and chemical insecticides, have substantially reduced its distribution, concerns regarding insecticide resistance, environmental impacts, and recent re-emergence events underscore the need for sustainable alternative control approaches. This review summarizes current advances in the use of EOs and plant-derived bioactive compounds for the management of myiasis-causing flies, with particular emphasis on C. hominivorax, and discusses the emerging role of nanocarrier-based delivery systems in enhancing their biological performance. EOs and their major constituents exhibit larvicidal, ovicidal, adulticidal, repellent, and oviposition-deterrent effects through multiple mechanisms that disrupt essential physiological and developmental processes in insects. Several EOs have shown promising activity against C. hominivorax larvae; however, their practical application is often limited by their high volatility, low aqueous solubility, and physicochemical instability. Nanodelivery systems, including nanoemulsions, polymeric nanoparticles, and solid lipid nanoparticles, offer effective strategies to improve the stability, bioavailability, controlled release, and overall efficacy of plant-derived bioactive compounds. Current evidence indicates that nanodelivery systems enhance the stability and insecticidal efficacy of EOs while reducing the concentrations required to achieve biological activity, supporting their potential for the prevention and treatment of C. hominivorax myiasis. Nevertheless, further in vivo and field studies are required to validate their practical application.