The effect of blood feeding on insecticide resistance intensity and adult longevity in the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Insecticide-based vector control is key to the reduction and elimination of malaria. Although insecticide resistance is common in malaria vector populations, the operational implications are often unclear. High intensity pyrethroid resistance in the major malaria vector Anopheles funestus has been linked to control failure in Southern Africa. The aim of this study was to assess linkages between mosquito age, blood feeding and the intensity of pyrethroid resistance in two An. funestus laboratory strains that originate from southern Mozambique, namely the moderately pyrethroid resistant FUMOZ and the highly resistant FUMOZ-R. Resistance tended to decline with age. This effect was significantly mitigated by blood feeding and was most apparent in cohorts that received multiple blood meals. In the absence of insecticide exposure, blood feeding tended to increase longevity of An. funestus females and, following insecticide exposure, enhanced their levels of deltamethrin resistance, even in older age groups. These effects were more marked in FUMOZ-R compared to FUMOZ. In terms of programmatic decision-making, these data suggest that it would be useful to assess the level and intensity of resistance in older female cohorts wherever possible, notwithstanding the standard protocols for resistance testing using age-standardised samples.