Status of insecticide resistance in anopheline mosquitoes of Punjab Province, Pakistan

Susceptibilities of six anopheline mosquito species from nine localities in Punjab Province to DDT, dieldrin, malathion, fenitrothion, fenthion and propoxur were determined. DDT-resistance was found in An. annularis, An. culicifacies, An. stephensi and An. subpictus but An. nigerrimus and An. pulcherrimus were susceptible to DDT. Association between DDT-resistance and endophilic habit of the mosquitoes has been observed but needs further confirmation. Dieldrin resistance was present in all six species. Five species were susceptible to malathion, and only An. stephensi showed incipient malathion resistance without cross resistance to other organophosphates. The six species were susceptible to fenitrothion and propoxur. An. nigerrimus and An. subpictus showed some evidence of resistance to fenthion; the remaining four species were fenthion-susceptible.