y2015m11b03 20151123144000 assa nadine@assaf.org.za assa South African Journal of Science S. Afr. J. Sci 0038-2353 1996-7489 11232015 Volume 111 Number 11/12 English Basil D. Brooke Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Leanne Robertson Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa Maria L. Kaiser Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Eric Raswiswi KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, Jozini, South Africa Givemore Munhenga Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Nelius Venter Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Oliver R. Wood Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Lizette L. Koekemoer Centre for Opportunistic, Tropical and Hospital Infections, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa Abstract The control of malaria vector mosquitoes in South Africa’s affected provinces is primarily based on indoor spraying of long-lasting residual insecticides. The primary vectors in South Africa are Anopheles arabiensis and An. funestus. South Africa’s National Malaria Control Programme has adopted a malaria elimination agenda and has scaled up vector control activities accordingly. However, despite these plans, local transmission continues and is most likely because of outdoor feeding by populations of An. arabiensis. An outdoor Anopheles surveillance system has been set up in three sections of the Mamfene district in northern KwaZulu- Natal in order to assess the extent of outdoor resting An. arabiensis in Mamfene and to assess the current insecticide susceptibility status of this population. According to WHO criteria, the An. arabiensis samples tested showed evidence of resistance to deltamethrin (pyrethroid), DDT (organochlorine) and bendiocarb (carbamate), and full susceptibility to the organophosphates pirimiphos-methyl and fenitrothion. Pre-exposure to piperonyl butoxide completely nullified the deltamethrin resistance otherwise evident in these samples, supporting previous studies implicating monooxygenase-based detoxification as the primary mechanism of pyrethroid resistance. The data presented here affirm the presence of pyrethroid and DDT resistance previously detected in this population and also indicate the comparatively recent emergence of resistance to the carbamate insecticide bendiocarb. These data show that special attention and commitment needs to be given to the principles of insecticide resistance management as well as to investigations into alternative control techniques designed to target outdoor-resting An. arabiensis in northern KwaZulu-Natal. 11232015 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/za/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/za/ 10.17159/sajs.2015/20150261 20151123144000 http://www.sajs.co.za/insecticide-resistance-malaria-vector-anopheles-arabiensis-mamfene-kwazulu-natal/basil-d-brooke-leanne-robertson-maria-l-kaiser-eric-raswiswi-givemore-munhenga-nelius-venter-oliver http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/SAJS%20111_11-12_Brooke_Research%20Letter.pdf http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/SAJS%20111_11-12_Brooke_Research%20Letter.pdf http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/SAJS%20111_11-12_Brooke_Research%20Letter.pdf http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/SAJS%20111_11-12_Brooke_Research%20Letter.pdf http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/SAJS%20111_11-12_Brooke_Research%20Letter.pdf http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/SAJS%20111_11-12_Brooke_Research%20Letter.pdf http://www.sajs.co.za/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/SAJS%20111_11-12_Brooke_Research%20Letter.pdf