BACKGROUND Although Anopheles funestus is difficult to rear, it is crucial to analyse field populations of this malaria vector in order to successfully characterise mechanisms of insecticide resistance observed in this species in Africa. In this study we carried out a large-scale field collection and rearing of An. funestus from Mozambique in order to analyse its susceptibility status to insect...

BACKGROUND Establishing the extent, geographical distribution and mechanisms of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors is a prerequisite for resistance management. Here, we report a widespread distribution of insecticide resistance in the major malaria vector An. funestus across Uganda and western Kenya under the control of metabolic resistance mechanisms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Fe...

CONTEXT N-methyl carbamate insecticides are widely used in homes, gardens and agriculture. They share the capacity to inhibit cholinesterase enzymes with organophosphates and therefore share similar symptomatology during acute and chronic exposures. One of the serious effects of organophosphate and carbamate intoxication is the development of acute pancreatitis and subsequent intrapancreatic fl...

OBJECTIVE To explore temporal variation in insecticide susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae s.l. populations to the four chemical groups of insecticides used in public health and agriculture, in close match with the large-scale cotton spraying programme implemented in the cotton-growing area of North Cameroon. METHODS Mosquito larvae were collected in 2005 before (mid June), during (mid August...

We describe a stochastic simulation model that simulates avian foraging in an agricultural landscape to evaluate factors affecting dietary insecticide exposure and to predict post-exposure cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition. To evaluate the model, we simulated published field studies and found that model predictions of insecticide decay and ChE inhibition reasonably approximated most observed resu...

Malaria control is reliant on the use of long-lasting pyrethroid-impregnated nets and/or indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticide. The rapid selection and spread of operationally significant pyrethroid resistance in African malaria vectors threatens our ability to sustain malaria control. Establishing whether resistance is operationally significant is technically challenging. Routine monit...

Plague is a rodent disease transmissible to humans by infected flea bites, and Madagascar is one of the countries with the highest plague incidence in the world. This study reports the susceptibility of the main plague vector Xenopsylla cheopis to 12 different insecticides belonging to 4 insecticide families (carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids and organochlorines). Eight populations from...

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases are involved in insecticide resistance in insects. We previously observed an increase in CYP6P7 and CYP6AA3 mRNA expression in Anopheles minimus mosquitoes during the selection for deltamethrin resistance in the laboratory. CYP6AA3 has been shown to metabolize deltamethrin, while no information is known for CYP6P7. In this study, CYP6P7 was heterologously expresse...

Because free-insecticide treated net distribution is planned in Benin (West Africa) during the next few years, we investigated the type, frequency and distribution of insecticide resistance mechanisms in Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in four localities selected on the basis of contrasting agricultural practices, use of insecticides and environment. Bioassays with WHO d...

The effect of the carbamate insecticide "carbofuran" on testes of male albino mice and the possible protective role of vitamin C against the insecticide toxicity was assessed. Treating mice with carbofuran for 8 weeks induced a significant decrease in the diameters and germinal epithelial heights of the seminiferous tubules. The histological evidence showed inhibition of spermatogenesis. There ...