Abstract
Plague is a rodent disease transmissible to humans by infected flea bites, and Madagascar is one of the countries with the highest plague incidence in the world. This study reports the susceptibility of the main plague vector Xenopsylla cheopis to 12 different insecticides belonging to 4 insecticide families (carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids and organochlorines). Eight populations from different geographical regions of Madagascar previously resistant to deltamethrin were tested with a World Health Organization standard bioassay. Insecticide susceptibility varied amongst populations, but all of them were resistant to six insecticides belonging to pyrethroid and carbamate insecticides (alphacypermethrin, lambdacyhalothrin, etofenprox, deltamethrin, bendiocarb and propoxur). Only one insecticide (dieldrin) was an efficient pulicide for all flea populations. Cross resistances were suspected. This study proposes at least three alternative insecticides (malathion, fenitrothion and cyfluthrin) to replace deltamethrin during plague epidemic responses, but the most efficient insecticide may be different for each population studied. We highlight the importance of continuous insecticide susceptibility surveillance in the areas of high plague risk in Madagascar.
Highlights
Arthropod-borne diseases are a major concern worldwide
This study reports the susceptibility of the main plague vector Xenopsylla cheopis to 12 different insecticides belonging to 4 insecticide families
The occurrence of flea resistance is of major concern in the public health context
Summary
Every year more than 1 billion cases and over 1 million deaths from vector-borne diseases are estimated [1]. Most of these vectors are bloodsucking arthropods (e.g., mosquitoes, flies, fleas, ticks, lice) living in direct contact with humans or harbored by livestock or commensal animals [2,3,4,5]Arthropod-borne diseases such as malaria, chikungunya, dengue fever, Lyme disease, West Nile fever, Rift Valley fever, and plague erupt and cause substantial mortality in humans and livestock [1,5,6,7,8]. The early detection and monitoring of insecticide resistance in a vector population may positively impact intervention strategies. The main defense against resistance is close surveillance of the susceptibility of vector populations [4]
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