Abstract
BackgroundMalaria is one of the most important public health problems in Southeast Asia, including Hainan Island, China. Vector control is the main malaria control measure, and insecticide resistance is a major concern for the effectiveness of chemical insecticide control programs. The objective of this study is to determine the resistance status of the main malaria vector species to pyrethroids and other insecticides recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for indoor residual sprays.MethodsThe larvae and pupae of Anopheles mosquitoes were sampled from multiple sites in Hainan Island, and five sites yielded sufficient mosquitoes for insecticide susceptibility bioassays. Bioassays of female adult mosquitoes three days after emergence were conducted in the two most abundant species, Anopheles sinensis and An. vagus, using three insecticides (0.05% deltamethrin, 4% DDT, and 5% malathion) and following the WHO standard tube assay procedure. P450 monooxygenase, glutathione S-transferase and carboxylesterase activities were measured. Mutations at the knockdown resistance (kdr) gene and the ace-1gene were detected by DNA sequencing and PCR-RFLP analysis, respectively.ResultsAn. sinensis and An. vagus were the predominant Anopheles mosquito species. An. sinensis was found to be resistant to DDT and deltamethrin. An. vagus was susceptible to deltamethrin but resistant to DDT and malathion. Low kdr mutation (L1014F) frequency (<10%) was detected in An. sinensis, but no kdr mutation was detected in An. vagus populations. Modest to high (45%-75%) ace-1 mutation frequency was found in An. sinensis populations, but no ace-1 mutation was detected in An. vagus populations. Significantly higher P450 monooxygenase and carboxylesterase activities were detected in deltamethrin-resistant An. sinensis, and significantly higher P450 monooxygenase, glutathione S-transferase and carboxylesterase activities were found in malathion-resistant An. vagus mosquitoes.ConclusionsMultiple insecticide resistance was found in An. sinensis and An. vagus in Hainan Island, a malaria-endemic area of China. Cost-effective integrated vector control programs that go beyond synthetic insecticides are urgently needed.
Highlights
Malaria is one of the most important public health problems in Southeast Asia, including Hainan Island, China
Mortality rates of An. sinensis mosquitoes from Sanya and Baoting ranged from 85.8% to 91.0% when tested against deltamethrin and from 72.7% to 78.4% against DDT, suggesting that An. sinensis was resistant to DDT and resistant or probably resistant to deltamethrin, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria
An. sinensis populations were more resistant than An. vagus to deltamethrin and DDT
Summary
Malaria is one of the most important public health problems in Southeast Asia, including Hainan Island, China. Vector control is the main malaria control measure, and insecticide resistance is a major concern for the effectiveness of chemical insecticide control programs. The objective of this study is to determine the resistance status of the main malaria vector species to pyrethroids and other insecticides recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for indoor residual sprays. Pyrethroid-impregnated bed nets and indoor residual sprays are the main components of malaria control and elimination strategy because of the high mosquito repellency of pyrethroids, insecticidal efficacy, and low toxicity to mammals [4,5,6,7]. Insecticide resistance monitoring and management is a high priority in malaria control programs
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