Insecticide resistance in Alabama and Florida mosquito strains of Aedes albopictus

Abstract

The susceptibility of four strains of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) to permethrin, deltamethrin, resmethrin, chlorpyrifos, malathion, propoxur, fipronil, imidacloprid, spinosad, and Bacillus thuringiensis variety israelensis (Bti) was determined. The HAmAal and MAmAal strains were collected in 2002 and 2003, respectively, from Huntsville and Mobile, AL, and the VBFmAal and SFmAal strains were collected in 1998 from Vero Beach and southern Florida, respectively. The HAmAal strain showed a 22-fold elevated level of resistance to deltamethrin compared with the susceptible Ikaken laboratory strain, whereas the VBFmAal strain showed a six-fold lower sensitivity to deltamethrin compared with Ikaken. However, comparison of resistance ratios for deltamethrin at LC50 and LC90 (21-fold) and the gradual slopes of dose-response curves indicated that the field population of this mosquito strain was heterogenous in response to deltamethrin. All four mosquito strains showed elevated levels of resistance to chlorpyrifos, with resistance ratios from 10 to 33. Nevertheless, except for the relatively low resistance to deltamethrin and chlorpyrifos, all mosquito strains showed a similar susceptibility or lower tolerance to the remaining insecticides tested compared with the susceptible Ikaken strain, even though some, such as permethrin, resmethrin, malathion, and Bti, have been used in the field for a long time, especially in Alabama. These results indicate that the development of resistance to insecticides in Ae. albopictus is slow and conventional insecticides, such as permethrin, resmethrin, malathion, and Bti, and relatively new insecticides, such as fipronil, imidacloprid, and spinosad, may all be valuable for the management of this important mosquito.