Susceptibility of Anopheles maculipennis to different classes of insecticides in West Azarbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran

Objective: To determine the susceptibility status of Anopheles maculipennis(An. maculipennis) against the major insecticides used in the health sectors in West Azarbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran.Methods: Unfed 3-5 days old adult females of An. maculipennis were collected across the West Azarbaijan Province and were subjected to evaluation of their susceptibility following World Health Organization recommended protocol against six insecticides(permethrin, deltamethrin, propoxur, bendiocarb, malathion and dieldrin) belonging to four different classes. Results: In this study, 916 specimens of An. maculipennis were examined against the insecticides which indicated that An. maculipennis was tolerant to permethrin, deltamethrin and dielderin, but displayed resistance against propoxur, bendiocarb and malathion. Conclusions: The pattern of resistance in An. maculipennis could be attributed to the agricultural landscapes, agricultural pesticides used and the exposure of the mosquitoes to insecticides. Logical cooperation is needed between the agriculture and health sectors to ensure the judicious use of pesticides in each sector and the management of probable resistance.