In a new PLoS Biology article, Read, Lynch and Thomas combine two facts and evolutionary thinking to propose a creative and surprising solution to insecticide resistance and malaria transmission.
The facts are:
1. Mosquitoes develop resistance to new insecticides quickly; finding new agents is not like to solve the problem.
2. Most mosquitoes die well before the 10-14 days needed to contract and transmit malaria.
They suggest that low doses of a late life acting insecticide could shape a shorter mosquito life span that would dramatically decrease malaria transmission. This strategy would also slow the development of resistance to the insecticide. They note the risk that this would select for faster development in Plasmodium, but suggest that fitness trade-offs might slow this evolution.
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https://salempregnancy.org/wp-content/languages/new/paxil.html
They offer a mathematical model. They also offer a very practical suggestion: screen insecticides to identify those that act late in the mosquito’s life span.
Source: Read AF, Lynch PA, Thomas MB (2009) How to Make Evolution-Proof Insecticides for Malaria Control. PLoS Biol 7(4): e1000058. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000058
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