Mosquito Specie Composition and Pyrethroid Resistance Status in Daura, Maiadua and Sandamu LGAs, Katsina State

BackgroundMalaria and other mosquito-borne diseases remain major public health in Nigeria. Insecticide-based interventions are vital for disease control but their effectiveness is threatened by the limited knowledge of local mosquito species and their resistance to insecticides. AimThe aim of this research is to determine the specie composition and pyrethroid resistance status of mosquitoes in Daura, Maiadua and Sandamu local governments, Katsina state. Materials and MethodMosquito larvae were collected from different locations in the study area between July to October and reared to adults in general Biology lab, federal polytechnic Daura. The adult mosquitoes were identified and subjected for bioassay. Five different WHO insecticide-impregnated papers namely Alphacypermetrin, Deltametrin, Lambdacyhalothrin and Permethrin were used for this study. The impregnated papers were tested against the emerged adult mosquitoes using WHO standard operating procedure. Culex and Aedes were morphologically identified to specie level while Anopheles were molecularly identified. The kdr mutation was also assessed in the Anopheles mosquitoes. ResultsAll the three genera; Anopheles, Culex and Aedes were present in the study area with Anopheles being the dominant. Culex quinquifasciatus and Aedes aegypti were the dominant species of Culex and Aedes respectively, while Anopheles gambiae s.l. was the dominant Anopheles species. Bioassays revealed widespread resistance to all the tested insecticides across all genera and locations, with particularly high resistance to deltamethrin, (mortality rates 17-48%). molecular analysis showed a high frequency of the 1014 mutation in the Anopheles mosquito. Conclusion and RecommendationsAnopheles gambiae s. l., Culex quinquifasciatus and Aedes aegypti are the dominant mosquito species in the study area. Deltametrin was less effective than the other classes of pyrethroids. These findings are important for guiding malaria control programs in Nigeria particularly in selecting effective insecticides for vector management.