The impact of larval exposure to environmental pollution on the evolution of metabolic insecticide resistance in the Major malaria vector Anopheles coluzzii.

The exposure of mosquitoes to environmental pollutants can potentially increase the activity of the enzymes involved in the metabolism of insecticides. Polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons (PAH) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants produced from the incomplete combustion of organic matters suchas fossil fuels and biomass, thus have the potential to prime metabolic resistance mechanisms. RNA Seq was performed on the strains of Anopeheles coluzzi collected from the field and those exposed to the environmental pollutants in the insectary for 10 generations, and transcriptomic comparisons were performed for the exposed andu nexposed populations.