Ghana: ‘smart mosquitoes’ self-immunize against insecticides
In Ghana in the Obuasi region, mosquitoes have evolved to resist insecticides used for years to destroy them.
“By using the same product over years, you end up having 90% of the surviving mosquito population. That’s what’s happening now,” says Paul Osei-Bonsu, a mosquito scientist.
In Obuasi, a laboratory is studying the resistance of mosquitoes to various chemicals. But in all mosquito specimens, only one managed to survive the chemicals. Thus, this mosquito has developed an antibody that makes it more resistant and transmits it to future generations of mosquitoes, reported by africanews.com.
The same source said that Ghana is the first country to introduce insecticides 3rd generation that no mosquito is supposed to resist. These are “intelligent insects,” says Samuel Asiedu, the director of the laboratory; but, “we are still preparing another product that should be available on the market at the end of the year, to be able to alternate and fight against auto-immunization,” he added.
