Insecticide Resistance in Vectors of Medically Important Parasitic Infections

Insecticide resistance is a major threat to vector control programmes as insecticides still remain the most effective method to control the vector-borne diseases. For effective management of insecticide resistance, a knowledge of the insecticides used along with their mode of action is a prerequisite to optimize their use. Nowadays, different detection methods, viz., phenotypic, genotypic and proteomic assays are used for assessment of insecticide resistance in vectors. An understanding of the phenotypic and genotypic variations present in the vectors help in implementation of these techniques to evaluate the usefulness of insecticides in an area and to determine the efficacy of an ongoing vector control programmes. The understanding of different factors involved in emergence of insecticide resistance and the alternative solutions to control this problem by the use of rotational, mixture of insecticides and use of piperonyl butoxide to increase the efficacy of indoor residual spray and insecticide treated bed nets are some of the steps taken to tackle the problem of insecticide resistance in vectors.