Insecticide

resistance in insect vectors

Jean-Philippe DAVID
Researcher,
National Center for Scientific Research,
Grenoble, France
 Why studying insecticide resistance ? (1/2)
à Vector borne diseases (malaria, dengue…) threaten
public health worldwide
à Few treatments/vaccines, vector control mostly
relies on insecticides
The African malaria vector Indoor residual spraying Insecticide treated nets

Photo: CDC/ J. Gathany Photo: CREC Benin Photo: CDC/A. Paredes Torrez

2 Jean-Philippe DAVID, Insecticide resistance in insect vectors

 Why studying insecticide resistance ? (2/2)

But repeated usage of insecticides can select for

resistance in vectors…
àresistance can undermine vector control … and
damage environment (higher doses)
àresistance affects most vectors and insecticides used
in public health
àfew alternative tools available
àneed to manage resistance to sustain vector control…
… until alternative strategies are implemented
worldwide

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 What is insecticide resistance ? (1/2)
Resistance = inherited trait of a population leading to
its survival and reproduction at a dose that would be
lethal for most susceptible individuals of the same
species

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 What is insecticide resistance ? (2/2)

à Adaptive phenomenon based on the process of

natural selection
à Results from selection across generations of genetic
traits already present in the population or acquired
by mutation / migration
à Can be reversed if detected
early and changing selection
pressure (e.g. changing for
an insecticide having a
different mode of action)

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 How resistance is defined ?
Resistance is defined by: Yellow fever mosquito
à A vector species Vs a biocide
à The frequency of resistant individuals in the
population Photo: CDC/ J. Gathany

à The resistance level of the population

Cross-resistance = a single mechanism confers R to different insecticides
Multiple resistance = multiple mechanisms confers R to different insecticides
à Usually acquired sequentially and difficult to manage (limited
alternatives)

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 How detecting resistance ?
à By using diagnostic dose bioassays (frequency of resistant
individuals)
à By using dose-response bioassays (resistance level of the
population)
- Lethal dose for 50% of individuals (LD50)
- Resistance ratio as compared to a susceptible population
RR50= (LD50 R pop) / (LD50 S pop)

mosquito larvae bioassay

Photo: LECA

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 How insects resist to insecticides ?

Cuticle-based resistance Behavioral resistance

(reduced penetration) (avoidance)

Detoxification
sequestration

Target-site modifications
(point mutations)
Metabolic resistance
(biodegradation by detox
enzymes)
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How detecting resistance mechanisms ?
- By using biochemical assays (not very specific) PCR assay

- By using DNA assays (target-site mutations)

But some resistance mechanisms are not well
characterized (e.g. insecticide detoxification)…
à Research for better characterizing resistance Quantitative PCR
assay
mechanisms at the gene level
à resistance markers (diagnostic tools)
à combat/manage resistance
à develop alternative control tools
next generation
sequencing

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