The impact of socio-economic status and domestic use of Insecticides on resistance in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Puerto Rico

Insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti is a growing public health challenge and recent studies have shown widespread resistance to first-of-line pyrethroid and organophosphate in Puerto Rico. To further the current understanding of insecticide resistance in Puerto Rico, we investigated resistance to commonly available commercial insecticides in communities that were designated as low, medium, and high based upon median annual income. Using census data, low income communities were defined as census tracts that had a median annual income from < $10,000 to %14,999, medium ranged from $30,000 to $39,000, and high ranged from $50,000 to >$100,000. From each of these categories we randomly selected 20 census tracts, collected Ae. aegypti eggs using ovicups, and generated F1 populations. Mosquitoes were tested for resistance to insecticides that were commonly available for purchase in stores in Puerto Rico and included: permethrin, prallethrin, d-phenothrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, alpha-cypermethrin, deltamethrin, and malathion. From eight communities, preliminary data show that on average, mortality at diagnostic times for five of seven insecticides was higher in low SES communities when compared to high SES communities and similar results were observed at 120min, where mortality in four of seven insecticides was higher in low SES communities than in high SES communities. The findings suggest that resistance to commonly available insecticides can be modulated by SES and income directed towards the control of insect pests.