RESEARCH ARTICLE Insensitivity to the Spatial Repellent Action of Transfluthrin in Aedes aegypti: A Heritable Trait Associated with Decreased Insecticide

Background New vector control paradigms expanding the use of spatial repellents are promising, but there are many gaps in our knowledge about how repellents work and how their long-term use might affect vector populations over time. Reported here are findings from a series of in vitro studies that investigated the plasticity and heritability of spatial repellent (SR) behav-iors in Aedes aegypti exposed to airborne transfluthrin, including results that indicate a pos-sible link between repellent insensitivity and insecticide resistance. Methodology/principal findings A dual-choice chamber system was used to observe directional flight behaviors in Aedes aegyptimosquitoes exposed to passively emanating transfluthrin vapors (1.35 mg/m3). Indi-vidual SR responder and SR non-responder mosquitoes were identified, collected and maintained separately according to their observed phenotype. Subsequent testing included re-evaluation of behavioral responses in some mosquito cohorts as well as testing the prog-eny of selectively bred responder and non-responder mosquito strains through nine genera