Resistance to Repurposed Agricultural Insecticides in Malaria Mosquitoes

In 2018, a new insecticide class is being implemented for the first time in Sub-Saharan Africa. Insecticide resistance has limited the efficacy of all four classes currently used for indoor residual spraying (IRS) and so it is important more classes are introduced to retain the efficacy of vector control techniques. Neonicotinoids have previously been used in agriculture with imidacloprid, the archetypal neonicotinoid and also the most heavily used. Resistance mechanisms to neonicotinoids have already been investigated in agricultural pests and makes up the basis of the literature review. Target-site mutations, changes in metabolic resistance and other methods will determine how resistance is monitored in field collected samples from implementation sites and in comparisons of laboratory-reared clothianidin-resistant and susceptible strains. The laboratory-reared strains will start from An. gambiae eggs collected from field-implementation sites of SumiShield IRS in Mali and Burkina Faso, this will aim to ensure as similar a genetic starting background as possible for comparing field and laboratory resistance. As a new class of insecticides is being used for vector control it is important to monitor resistance as it develops to ensure the best combination of integrated vector control is being used to reduce malaria vector numbers.