Phenotypic plasticity of disease-vectoring mosquitoes towards non-chemical and chemical stressor interactions

Millions of people are affected worldwide by disease-vectoring mosquitoes. The mosquito nervous system is a proven target for high efficacy carbamate and pyrethroid insecticides; however, widespread insecticide resistance limits their use to reduce the risk of mosquito-vectored diseases. The identification of insecticide resistance mechanisms continues to provide insight for the development of improved chemical control strategies for mosquitoes. This study examines the influence of a hypoxia-responsive signaling pathway on the biological and toxicological action of current-use insecticides and the manner in which this pathway might be exploited to improve or develop strategies to chemically control disease-vectoring mosquitoes.