Organochlorine residue sequestration by anopheles culicifacies sensu lato mosquito larvae

Abstract

Anopheles culicifacies sensu lato is the major vector of rural and peri-urban malaria in India (Pattanayak et al. 1994). Residual insecticides such as HCH and DDT have been the mainstay of malaria control to interrupt transmission (Anon 1991). Due to persistent nature of organochlorine insecticides in nature and extensive use for malaria control, A. culicifacies became resistant to these insecticides (Pattanayak et al. 1994). Very high bioamplification of DDT by invertebrates (Johnson et al. 1971) and mosquito larvae (Metcalf et al. 1971) from water have been reported earlier which may cause resistance to DDT and HCH at the larval stages due to uptake of these residues from contaminated water. We report sequestration of HCH and DDT residues by A. culicifacies larvae from contaminated water of different breeding habitats.