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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410045
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Mosquitoes and Biting Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Aedes aegypti knockdown resistance mutations and Dengue Virus infection in Haiti

Author
item Estep Iii, Alden
item Sanscrainte, Neil
item OKECH, BERNARD - Uniformed Services University

Submitted to: Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2024
Publication Date: 3/29/2024
Citation: Estep III, A.S., Sanscrainte, N.D., Okech, B.A. 2024. Aedes aegypti knockdown resistance mutations and Dengue Virus infection in Haiti. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 40(2):102-108. https://doi.org/10.2987/23-7160.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2987/23-7160

Interpretive Summary: Haiti is home to approximately 11 million people and has a high incidence of vector borne disease, including more than 70,000 cases of dengue per year. Little pathogen or insecticide resistance surveillance data is available for making operational decisions. In this study, we assessed serial surveillance mosquito samples from 3 locations for the presence of dengue virus and samples of Aedes aegypti from 10 locations outside Port-au-Prince for the presence of two mutations that are markers for pyrethroid insecticide resistance. Only one of the 32 tested pools was positive for the presence of dengue The 1016I and 1534C kdr mutations were present in all 10 locations but varied in frequency. We also observed that the genotype homozygous for both mutations, which has been linked to strong pyrethroid resistance, varied from 13-86% in each population. These results indicate that pyrethroid resistance is widely present in Haiti although the intensity of the resistance varies. This information should be utilized to improve operational vector control.

Technical Abstract: Haiti is home to approximately 11 million people and has a high incidence of vector borne disease, including more than 70,000 cases of dengue per year. Vector control is difficult in Haiti and adulticide spray of malathion is the main method of control employed during the outbreak of disease although pyrethroids have been used in both bed net campaigns and in widely available aerosol cans for personal use. However, little pathogen or insecticide resistance surveillance data is available for making operational decisions. In this study, we assessed serial surveillance mosquito samples from 3 locations for the presence of dengue virus serotypes 1-3 (DENV1-3) by PCR and assessed, by melt curve analysis, samples of Aedes aegypti from 10 locations outside Port-au-Prince for the presence of two mutations (1016I and 1534C) that are strongly linked to pyrethroid insecticide resistance (IR). Only one of the 32 tested pools was positive for the presence of dengue The 1016I and 1534C kdr mutations were present in all 10 locations but varied in frequency. We also observed that the genotype homozygous for both mutations, which has been linked to strong pyrethroid resistance, varied from 13-86% in each population. Notably, three locations - Ti Cousin, Christianville and Camp Coq - had more than 30% of the tested population without the presence of these kdr mutations. Based on previous studies comparing kdr mutations and phenotypic pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti, these results indicate that pyrethroid resistance is widely present in Haiti although the intensity of the resistance varies.