Mosquito gene linked to insecticide resistance.

• Position: Malaria

Malaria remains one of the most serious diseases worldwide, claiming the lives of more than 1,000,000 people per year in tropical and subtropical regions, the majority of whom are children under five years of age. Efforts to eliminate this mosquito-borne illness rely heavily on prevention measures, but there are growing concerns about resistance to insecticides. Researchers have identified specific mosquito genes associated with resistance to a common class of insecticides, a significant step toward the execution of more effective malaria control strategies.

In this study, an international team of scientists--including researchers from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.--led by Charles Wondji and Hilary Ranson of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, has identified the genetic basis of resistance to common pyrethroid insecticides in the mosquito Anopheles funestus, one of the major malarial vectors in Africa. The group tested strains of A. funestus that are both susceptible and resistant to pyrethroids. The scientists narrowed down the potential genetic culprits to members of a family of genes coding for enzymes known as cytochrome P450s. The P450s are common to all classes of organisms and are considered a first line of defense against toxins.

The researchers discovered two cytochrome P450 genes in A...