The biochemistry of insecticide resistance in Anopheles sacharovi: Comparative studies with a range of insecticide susceptible and resistant Anopheles and Culex species

Fourth instar larvae, the progeny from wild-caught Anopheles sacharovi females, were subjected to a number of biochemical tests and the results were compared to those from similar tests on laboratory insecticide resistant and susceptible strains of anopheline and culicine mosquitoes. DDT resistance in An. sacharovi is associated with the ability to rapidly metabolise DDT to DDE. The organophosphorus and carbamate resistance was not associated with quantitative changes in esterases, multifunction oxidases, or glutathione S-transferase. The acetylcholinesterase was less sensitive to malaoxon and propoxur than laboratory susceptible An. albimanus, and plots of inhibition suggest that the population was polymorphic for more than one form of acetylcholinesterase. Metabolism studies on malathion and pirimiphos methyl did not indicate resistance due to increased metabolism. There was no evidence of penetration barriers contributing to resistance to either DDT or malathion, and there was no indication of any resistance to pirimiphos methyl in our tests.