Seasonal resistance status of two main malaria vectors Anopheles superpictus and Anopheles sacharovi (Diptera: Culicidae) populations from Turkey

Abstract Anopheles species are vectors for malaria. To date, insecticide application has been the primary method for controlling mosquito disease vectors. Chemical interventions to control vectors may occasionally prove ineffective, due to the development of insecticide resistance. Target-site insensitivity is one of the primary mechanisms that contribute to resistance. This study aims to determine the G119S (mutation of glycine to serine) and L1014S (mutation of leucine to phenylalanine) mutation rates of Anopheles superpictus Grassi, 1899 (Culicidae: Anophelinae) and Anopheles sacharovi Favre, 1903 (Culicidae: Anophelinae) populations and their seasonal variations in the Aegean Region. For both A. superpictus and A. sacharovi , the G119S mutation was observed at a low frequency during all three periods. The mean L1014S frequency for A. sacharovi populations in the spring 2018, fall 2018, and spring 2019 periods was 0.063, 0.156, and 0.196, respectively. For A. superpictus populations, the frequencies were 0.025, 0.013, and 0.024, respectively. Pyrethroids, the most widely utilized insecticide in recent years, which are presumed to be effective, will ultimately exhibit reduced efficacy in some of these populations.