Resistance to dieldrin + fipronil assorts with chromosome inversion 2La in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae

Cyclodiene insecticide resistance in malaria vector mosquitoes of the Anopheles gambiae species complex (Diptera: Culicidae) has been reported previously from several parts of Africa. We report resistance to dieldrin, a cyclodiene, in two laboratory strains of An. gambiae Giles sensu stricto code-named Ian P20 from Nigeria (1979) and CIG from Cote d'Ivoire (1997). Dieldrin resistance levels were high in adult female mosquitoes (40-75% survived exposure to 4% dieldrin for 1 h) and was closely linked with chromosomal paracentric inversion 2La. This inversion did not occur in Hardy-Weinberg proportions, but showed an excess of heterozygotes in both strains, which may account for the high levels of resistance. This linkage also suggests that dieldrin resistance in Ian P20 is dominant. After subsamples of strain Ian P20 were exposed for 1 h to dieldrin 4% or fipronil 2% (discriminating concentrations), the resultant mortality-rates (61% and 65%) were not significantly different. Most survivors after fipronil treatment also survived subsequent exposure to dieldrin (46/50=92%). This apparent cross-resistance between insecticides of two classes (cyclodiene and phenyl pyrazole) has implications for the management of insecticide resistance in wild populations of the An. gambiae complex.