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- Title
Molecular surveillance of insecticide resistance in Phlebotomus argentipes targeted by indoor residual spraying for visceral leishmaniasis elimination in India.
- Authors
Reid, Emma; Deb, Rinki Michelle; Ali, Asgar; Singh, Rudra Pratap; Mishra, Prabhas Kumar; Shepherd, Josephine; Singh, Anand Mohan; Bharti, Aakanksha; Singh, Chandramani; Sharma, Sadhana; Coleman, Michael; Weetman, David
- Abstract
Molecular surveillance of resistance is an increasingly important part of vector borne disease control programmes that utilise insecticides. The visceral leishmaniasis (VL) elimination programme in India uses indoor residual spraying (IRS) with the pyrethroid, alpha-cypermethrin to control Phlebotomus argentipes the vector of Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of VL. Prior long-term use of DDT may have selected for knockdown resistance (kdr) mutants (1014F and S) at the shared DDT and pyrethroid target site, which are common in India and can also cause pyrethroid cross-resistance. We monitored the frequency of these marker mutations over five years from 2017–2021 in sentinel sites in eight districts of north-eastern India covered by IRS. Frequencies varied markedly among the districts, though finer scale variation, among villages within districts, was limited. A pronounced and highly significant increase in resistance-associated genotypes occurred between 2017 and 2018, but with relative stability thereafter, and some reversion toward more susceptible genotypes in 2021. Analyses linked IRS with mutant frequencies suggesting an advantage to more resistant genotypes, especially when pyrethroid was under-sprayed in IRS. However, this advantage did not translate into sustained allele frequency changes over the study period, potentially because of a relatively greater net advantage under field conditions for a wild-type/mutant genotype than projected from laboratory studies and/or high costs of the most resistant genotype. Further work is required to improve calibration of each 1014 genotype with resistance, preferably using operationally relevant measures. The lack of change in resistance mechanism over the span of the study period, coupled with available bioassay data suggesting susceptibility, suggests that resistance has yet to emerge despite intensive IRS. Nevertheless, the advantage of resistance-associated genotypes with IRS and under spraying, suggest that measures to continue monitoring and improvement of spray quality are vital, and consideration of future alternatives to pyrethroids for IRS would be advisable. Author summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a deadly parasitic disease with a primary focus in north-eastern India. Control of the sand fly, Phlebotomus argentipes, vector of VL in India, is primarily reliant upon spraying the internal walls of houses and animal shelters with residual pyrethroid insecticide. Spray programmes depend upon well-controlled spraying and effective insecticides to which the targeted insects are susceptible. Changing insecticides is logistically challenging, therefore early detection of insecticide resistance is crucial. As part of a wider programme of entomological surveillance we used molecular resistance assays of knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations to investigate evidence for changing resistance profiles, and possible links with the spraying programme across a system of eight districts in north-eastern India. Mutant frequencies varied substantially in space and time, with a major change across the first two years of the study, but stability for the remainder. Resistance-associated kdr alleles were positively associated with indices of spray coverage and with under spraying, suggesting that this creates vulnerability to development of pyrethroid resistance. However, the most strongly resistance conferring mutant genotype was rarely detected, suggesting overall that notable resistance is not yet emerging, despite wide coverage of the spray programme. This is an encouraging result for the VL elimination programme but with apparent advantage of resistance alleles in sprayed areas it would be wise to seek alternative insecticides for spraying.
- Subjects
INDIA; VISCERAL leishmaniasis; INSECTICIDE resistance; PHLEBOTOMUS; VECTOR-borne diseases; PYRETHROIDS; LYME disease
- Publication
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2023, Vol 17, Issue 11, p1
- ISSN
1935-2727
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1371/journal.pntd.0011734