Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that has the greatest epidemic potential in the world. The Ae. aegypti mosquito is the main vector of dengue in the Americas [1]. The Americas is one of the most affected regions [2], where dengue is considered one of the most important reemerging diseases [3]. The risk scenario of mosquito-borne diseases has changed dramatically in the last decades, due to the emergence and re-emergence of urban transmission cycles caused by Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus [4]. The current situation against dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) arboviruses transmitted by Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus is complex, because so far there is no vaccine with high effectiveness and no specific treatment, except the vaccine against yellow fever, therefore, mosquito vector control is the only solution to prevent these diseases. However, this remains a challenge, despite the existence of vector control programs that have been in place for several decades [5].
Historically, the main strategies used for the control of arbovirus vector mosquito populations, specifically Ae. aegypti [6]. relies heavily on the use of insecticides widely applied by vector control programs [7]. In recent years, resistance to the four major chemical groups of organochlorines (OC), organophosphates (OPs), carbamates (CA) and pyrethroids (PYs) insecticides has been detected in Ae. albopictus in the Americas, Africa and Asia [8]. Insecticide resistance in mosquitoes is caused by several mechanisms, with two in particular being the focus of most studies: metabolic resistance and target-site alterations modifications. Metabolic resistance involves large families of enzymes: cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (MFO), esterases (EST), glutathione S-transferases (GST) and carboxylesterases (CCE), moreover, increased activity levels of insecticide-degrading enzymes have been observed in resistant populations [9, 10].
Studies have suggested that mutations in the voltage-dependent sodium channel (NaV), the target site for PYs and OC, may play a role in PYs resistance [11]. To date, at least 10 NaV detected mutations associated with resistance in Ae. aegypti. Four of these, S989P, I1011M, V1016G and F1534C, have been functionally confirmed to confer resistance to PYs insecticides [10, 12]. The most common alleles in the Americas are 410L + 1016I + 1534C, 410L + 1534C and 1534C [13]. The mutations G923W, L982W, I1011M and V1016G were found in permethrin- and DDT-resistant Ae. aegypti populations from Asia and Brazil [14], while substitutions I1011V and V1016I were found in Ae. aegypti populations from Latin America [15]. In addition, the F1534C was discovered recently in Brazil [16], Venezuela [17] and Colombia [18]. In the Americas, the Val1016Ile mutation was found to coexist with F1534C in Venezuela [17] and Brazil [19].
In Panama, the main tool used by the vector control program against mosquito populations is the use of chemical insecticides. Aedes populations have been controlled since the beginning with the organochlorine DDT, later with OPs temephos, fenthion, malathion and fenitrothion, and more recently, the PYs insecticides deltamethrin and cyfluthrin [20, 21]. Aedes aegypti has shown resistance to the insecticides OPs temephos, pirimiphos-methyl and chlorpyrifos-methyl, the PYs insecticides deltamethrin, cyfluthrin and cypermethrin and to the organochlorine DDT. In more recent studies in bioassays with adult mosquitoes, resistance was recorded in two populations of Ae. aegypti to pirimiphos-methyl, fenitrothion, malathion and propoxur. Aedes populations were completely susceptible to pyrethroids [22–24]. Through biochemical assays, EST, MFOs and GST were observed as mechanisms of resistance to OPs insecticides [23, 24]. Regarding Kdr (Knockdown resistance) mutations, the mutations Ile1011Met and Val1016Gly were recently detected in a population of Ae. aegypti [25].
Despite the continuous use of insecticides against Aedes populations, few studies have been conducted on the resistance status in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus populations in the different regions of the country, especially on the enzymatic mechanisms of resistance and Kdr mutations. The National Aedes Control Program (PNCA) of the Ministry of Health (MINSA) has continuously expressed the need to conduct studies to determine the resistance status in Aedes populations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the status of insecticide resistance, its enzymatic mechanisms and Kdr mutations in wild Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus populations from Panama.