Mechanisms of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and their implications for disease control
TL;DR
By bridging India’s field surveillance data with international resistance management frameworks, this review outlines integrated strategies to delay the selection of multi-resistant phenotypes and safeguard sustainable vector elimination targets worldwide.
Abstract
Insecticide resistance in mosquitoes has created a severe bottleneck, undermining global public health initiatives targeting vector-borne pathogens such as Plasmodium , dengue, and Zika viruses. Using a comprehensive narrative review methodology, this article maps the shifting evolutionary landscapes of vector control across four primary, universally recognized resistance mechanisms: target-site insensitivity ( kdr , ace-1 , and Rdl pore transformations), metabolic detoxification (cytochrome P450s, carboxylesterases, and glutathione S-transferases), cuticular thickening, and behavioral avoidance. Beyond these classical frameworks, this review addresses important contemporary discoveries, highlighting the functional role of the commensal midgut microbiota in the escalation of phenotypic pyrethroid resistance and underscoring novel extracellular metabolic markers such as the CSDIR protein. To counteract these adaptation networks, public health programs are undergoing a paradigm shift away from traditional neurotoxic monotherapies. The review touches upon the operational efficacy of next-generation, World Health Organization-prequalified interventions designed to circumvent legacy cross-resistance, focusing on neonicotinoids (clothianidin), pyrroles (chlorfenapyr), novel meta-diamides (broflanilide), and biorational insect growth regulators (pyriproxyfen). Finally, this review contextualizes these dynamics within the geographically and epidemiologically diverse landscape of India. The review points to specific Indian evidence, including the mapped multi-insecticide resistance profiles of primary rural ( Anopheles culicifacies ) and urban ( Anopheles stephensi ) vectors, PCR-based target-site genotyping ( L1014F/S and V1010L alleles) from the national sentinel networks of the NCVBDC and ICMR-NIMR, and localized evaluations of novel allosteric chemistries. By bridging India’s field surveillance data with international resistance management frameworks, this review outlines integrated strategies to delay the selection of multi-resistant phenotypes and safeguard sustainable vector elimination targets worldwide.