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Updated: May 22, 2026
09:32
Protocols for Testing the Toxicity of Novel Insecticidal Chemistries to Mosquitoes
Published on: February 13, 2019
Symbiont-mediated insecticide resistance.
Yoshitomo Kikuchi1, Masahito Hayatsu, Takahiro Hosokawa
1Bioproduction Research Institute, Hokkaido Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Sapporo 062-8517, Japan. kikuchi@aist.go.jp
Summary
Insecticide resistance can develop rapidly through infection with insecticide-degrading bacteria. This symbiont-mediated resistance in stinkbugs offers a new understanding of pest control challenges.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Insect Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Insecticide resistance is a global concern, primarily linked to genetic changes in insects.
- Existing resistance mechanisms involve target site modification, enhanced enzyme degradation, and increased excretion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel mechanism of insecticide resistance in pest insects.
- To explore the role of bacterial symbionts in conferring insecticide resistance.
Main Methods:
- Studied the bean bug Riptortus pedestris and its gut symbionts.
- Investigated the impact of fenitrothion exposure on bacterial populations in soil and insect symbiosis.
- Analyzed stinkbug populations in fenitrothion-treated agricultural fields.
Main Results:
- Fenitrothion-degrading Burkholderia strains establish a beneficial symbiosis with stinkbugs, conferring resistance to fenitrothion.
- Experimental soil treatment with fenitrothion significantly enriched these degrading bacteria.
- A population of stinkbugs in Japan showed a notable prevalence of fenitrothion-degrading Burkholderia symbionts.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial symbionts provide a rapid, previously unrecognized route to insecticide resistance in insects.
- This symbiont-mediated resistance can emerge quickly, even within a single generation.
- The mechanism suggests potential for horizontal gene transfer and broader ecological implications for pest management.
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