Well ahead of sharks and even ahead of men themselves, the deadliest animal for humans is the mosquito. Worryingly, this INSECTwhich transmits many maladies sometimes fatal, such as dengue fever, malaria or yellow fever, would have developed over genetic mutations a strong resistance to insecticides. This finding prompted a team of Japanese researchers to warn of the need to develop new means to protect themselves from their contamination, reports Futura Sciences.
It is this team, led by the scientist Japanese Shinji Kasai, which made it possible to measure more precisely the extent of the problem linked to the resistance of mosquitoes to insecticides. A study published at the end of December by the journal Science Advances on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes found in several Asian countries and in Ghana has thus made it possible to identify the presence of several genetic mutations immunizing them to the most widely used insecticides, such as cypermethrin.
Developing vaccines and alternative modes of action
Au Cambodia, 90% of the individuals studied thus present “an extremely high level of resistance”, according to Shinji Kasai. It would also appear that certain types of mosquitoes supposed to be 100% eliminated by insecticides were only 7% eliminated. And even by increasing the doses, only 30% of mosquitoes would be killed. While this resistance has been found in Cambodia, the insecticides still reportedly work well in Ghana and parts of Indonesia and Taiwan.
Faced with this major problem, which was also noted to a lesser extent for the tiger mosquito, Shinji Kasai and his team therefore called for a renewal of the methods used. While many products are to be developed, the researchers also wanted new means of protection, such as vaccines, to be put in place. Currently, only a few dengue vaccines are available. For Shinji Kasai, other solutions should also be explored, such as the elimination of mosquito breeding grounds or the sterilization of male mosquitoes.