Characterising insecticide resistance-associated fitness cost and their compensatory genetic modifiers in major African malaria vectors

Recent successes in malaria control are threatened by increasing levels of insecticide resistance (IR) in the main vectors, requiring insecticide resistance management (IRM) strategies to mitigate this problem. Current IRMs such as rotation/mixture of insecticide with the unrelated mode of action rely on the assumption that fitness costs associated with resistant mosquitoes may reduce the ability of such vectors to survive and transmit the disease. However, resistance-conferring mutations often drive the subsequent evolution of genetic-compensatory modifiers which alleviate the cost of resistance in the vector resulting in resistance aggravation and increase malaria transmission. Unfortunately, fitness costs of resistance and the contribution of modifiers to its alleviation and/or increased IR remain largely uncharacterised, hindering the implementation of suitable IRM strategies.

Project details

Insecticide Resistance

Apr 2024 — Apr 2029

$900,153

Cameroon