Science University Research Symposium (SURS)
Publication Date
11-2025
College
College of Sciences & Mathematics
Department
Biology, Department of
SURS Faculty Advisor
Darlene Panvini
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
Mosquitoes may develop resistance to insecticides used by control programs, potentially increasing population density and the risk of mosquito-borne diseases. Culex spp. mosquitos are the primary vector of West Nile Virus (WNV), the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States and a reportable disease in Tennessee. Resistance profiles were constructed for two insecticides, permethrin and malathion, in a Culex spp. population from Nashville, Tennessee. Adult female mosquitoes were live-captured using gravid traps and tested using the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bioassay protocol to assess resistance or susceptibility. Three inhibitors were also included to identify metabolic enzymes possibly involved in insecticide detoxification and resistance. Mosquitoes exhibited susceptibility to malathion and resistance to permethrin. Resistance continued after exposure to each of the three inhibitors, and there were no significant differences between resistance in the three inhibitors and resistance in the permethrin alone. Thus, another unknown enzyme may be involved in achieving resistance mechanisms. These findings can inform more efficient, targeted mosquito management strategies, including the use of insecticide rotations or increasing insecticide concentrations.
Recommended Citation
Sebaugh, Ellie; Bement, Zachary; Moncayo, Abelardo; and Panvini, Darlene, "Insecticide Resistance Profile in Nashville Culex spp. Mosquito Populations" (2025). Science University Research Symposium (SURS). 299.
https://repository.belmont.edu/surs/299
Included in
Biology Commons, Diseases Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons, Public Health Commons
