Pirikool® 300 CS, a new long-lasting capsule suspension formulation of the organophosphate insecticide pirimiphos-methyl for indoor residual spraying against pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors.

BACKGROUND: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) using a capsule suspension formulation of the organophosphate insecticide, pirimiphos-methyl, has provided substantial malaria control in many communities in Africa. However, only one brand of this product has been recommended by the World Health Organisation for IRS. To help increase the diversity of the portfolio of IRS insecticides and offer suitable options to procurers and malaria vector control programmes, additional product brands of this highly effective and long-lasting insecticide formulation for IRS will be needed. METHODS: We evaluated the efficacy of Pirikool® 300CS, a new capsule suspension formulation of pirimiphos-methyl developed by Tianjin Yorkool, International Trading, Co., Ltd in standard WHO laboratory bioassays and experimental hut studies. The efficacy of the insecticide applied at 1000mg/m2 was assessed in laboratory bioassays for 6 months on cement, plywood and mud block substrates and for 12 months in cement and mud-walled experimental huts against wild free-flying pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae sensu lato in Covè, Benin. Actellic® 300CS, a WHO-recommended capsule suspension formulation of pirimiphos-methyl was also tested. WHO cylinder tests were performed to determine the frequency of insecticide resistance in the wild vector population during the hut trial. RESULTS: The vector population at the hut station was resistant to pyrethroids but susceptible to pirimiphos-methyl. Overall mortality rates of wild free-flying pyrethroid-resistant An. gambiae (s.l.) entering Pirikool®300CS treated experimental huts during the 12-month trial were 86.7% in cement-walled huts and 88% in mud-walled huts. Mortality of susceptible An. gambiae (Kisumu) and pyrethroid-resistant An. gambiae s.l. (Covè) mosquitoes in monthly wall cone bioassays on Pirikool® 300CS treated hut walls remained over 80% for 10-12 months. The laboratory bioassays corroborated the hut findings with Pirikool® 300CS on mud and wood block substrates but not on cement block substrates. CONCLUSION: Indoor residual spraying with Pirikool® 300CS induced high and prolonged mortality of wild pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors for 10-12 months. Addition of Pirikool®300CS to the current portfolio of IRS insecticides will provide an extra choice of microencapsulated pirimiphos-methyl for IRS.

Indoor spraying with chlorfenapyr (a pyrrole insecticide) provides residual control of pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors in southern Benin.

BACKGROUND: New classes of insecticides with novel modes of action, which can provide effective and prolonged control of insecticide-resistant malaria vector populations, are urgently needed for indoor residual spraying. Such insecticides can be included in a rotation plan to manage and prevent further development of resistance in mosquito vectors of malaria. Chlorfenapyr, a novel pyrrole insecticide with a unique mode of action, is being developed as a long-lasting IRS formulation. METHODS: The efficacy of several formulations of chlorfenapyr alone and as mixtures with alpha-cypermethrin were evaluated in an experimental hut trial against wild pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae sensu lato in Cové, Benin, in an attempt to identify the most effective and long-lasting formulations for IRS. The trial lasted 12 months. A comparison was made with alpha-cypermethrin and bendiocarb formulations. CDC bottle bioassays were performed to investigate cross-resistance to chlorfenapyr in the local vector population. RESULTS: Mortality rates in World Health Organization (WHO) cylinder bioassays were < 5% with pyrethroids due to high levels of pyrethroid resistance, but > 95% with bendiocarb thus confirming susceptibility to carbamates in the vector population. CDC bottle bioassays showed no cross-resistance between pyrethroids and chlorfenapyr. Overall mortality of free-flying mosquitoes entering the experimental huts over the 12-month trial was 4% with alpha-cypermethrin and 12% with bendiocarb. The chlorfenapyr solo-formulations induced significantly higher levels of mortality (38-46%) compared to the bendiocarb (12% P < 0.001) and to the mixture formulations (18-22%, P < 0.05). The original Sylando 240SC formulation of chlorfenapyr was more efficacious than all other novel chlorfenapyr formulations tested. Bendiocarb induced > 80% mortality in the first month, but this declined sharply to < 20% by the third month while the mortality rates achieved with the chlorfenapyr formulations (38-46%) were persistent lasting 7-10 months. The mixtures induced significantly lower percentage mortality than chlorfenapyr-solo formulations. Wall cone bioassays only showed mortality rates that were consistent with chlorfenapyr IRS treated huts when the exposure time was increased to 2 h. CONCLUSION: Indoor residual spraying with chlorfenapyr (Sylando® 240SC) provides moderate but prolonged control of pyrethroid-resistant malaria vectors compared to pyrethroid and bendiocarb IRS. Wall cone bioassays on chlorfenapyr-treated walls required longer exposure times of 2 h than the customary 30 min indicating that WHO guidelines on residual cone bioassays need to be more insecticide-specific.