Carbamate-resistance in mosquitos. Selection of Culex pipiens fatigans Wiedemann (=C. quinquefasciatus Say) for resistance to Baygon.

Abstract

The authors investigated the rate of development and other characteristics of Baygon-resistance in Culex pipiens fatigans (=C. quinquefasciatus) recently colonized from Southern California. Selective pressure against the larvae (strain L) for 35 generations resulted in 25.4-fold resistance in larvae, but only 3-fold and 4.8-fold resistance in adults, as determined by contact and topical application, respectively. Conversely, selective pressure on adults (strain A) for 24 generations resulted in 8.4-fold (contact) and 5.3-fold (topical) resistance in adults, but only 2.7-fold resistance in larvae. About 10% of strain A adults survived 1-hour contact exposure even when the concentration of Baygon was increased 100-fold. This was not due to enhanced phototropism in this stage. Larvae of strain L metabolized (14)C-labelled Baygon at a rate 2.5-fold greater than the non-selected strain. Cross-resistance in strain L to carbamates closely related to Baygon was high, but was extremely low to remotely related carbamates.The authors consider the relatively slow rate of development of resistance to Baygon, the reduced expressivity of the resistance character in adults, and its specificity for the selective agent and for closely related carbamates to be encouraging indications as to the usefulness of this class of compounds for mosquito control.