Mathematical Modelling of Insecticide Resistance Management Strategies for the Control of Vector-Borne Diseases

As new insecticides and formulations come to market, there is a need to understand how to deploy these insecticides in order to prolong their operational lifespan. This project aims to develop a flexible mathematical model allowing for the tracking of insecticide resistance intensity and the corresponding bioassay survival. This will be achieved using a quantitative genetics approach to model polygenic resistance in mosquito populations. Simulations will be conducted to cover a range of scenarios with outputs compared between different insecticide resistance management strategies, including sequences, rotations, mixtures, and mosaics. The modelling outputs (usually time until resistance, or mortality over the deployment cycle) can then used to describe the relative benefits of different insecticide resistance management strategies when compared against one another.