Selection and characterization of temephos resistance in a population of Aedes aegypti from Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

A collection of Aedes aegypti from Tortola, British Virgin Islands, with a high level of temephos resistance (46.8-fold at the 95% lethal concentration [LC95]) was selected to higher resistance with temephos in the laboratory. After 13 generations of pressure, the temephos resistance ratio increased to 180.6 (LC95), whereas in the absence of selection pressure the resistance ratio declined to 8.5. Relatively low levels of resistance or cross-resistance to other organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, and a high level of resistance to the pyrethroid permethrin were also observed. Synergism tests implicated detoxifying esterases in temephos resistance and the presence of elevated esterase activity was confirmed by biochemical tests; however, no evidence was found of insensitive acetylcholinesterase. Mendelian crosses indicated that temephos resistance was inherited as a monofactorial trait. The presence of high levels of temephos and permethrin resistance in Ae. aegypti has important implications for Aedes control programs.