Detection of pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles mosquitos.

Although pyrethroid insecticides are a promising means of controlling Anopheles malaria vectors, there is a need to monitor for resistance. It has been proposed that the results of the WHO-recommended testing method, involving exposure to impregnated paper for 1 hour, might be misleading because of knockdown during this period, and that exposure to a higher dose of pyrethroid for 2 minutes might be preferable. However, comparative tests with a susceptible and a permethrin-resistant strain of A. stephensi showed that exposure for 1 hour was at least as sensitive in detecting resistance as was the short exposure method.