Elevated Plasmodium infection and multiple insecticide resistance in the principal malaria vectors Anopheles funestus and Anopheles gambiae in a forested locality close to the airport of Yaoundé, the Capital city of Cameroon

Abstract Background Reducing the burden of malaria requires better understanding of vector populations particularly in forested regions where the incidence remains elevated. Here, we characterized malaria vectors in a locality near the international airport of Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, including species composition, abundance, Plasmodium infection rate; insecticide resistance profiles and underlying resistance mechanisms. Methods Blood-fed adult mosquitoes resting indoors were aspirated from houses in April 2019 at Elende, a village located 2km from the Yaoundé-Nsimalen airport. Female mosquitoes were forced to lay eggs to generate F 1 adult progeny. WHO bioassays were performed to assess resistance profile to insecticides. The threshold of insecticide susceptibility was fixed above 98% mortality rate and mortality rates below 90% were considered indicative of confirmed insecticide resistance according to the WHO test procedures for insecticide resistance monitoring. Furthermore, the molecular basis of resistance and Plasmodium infection rates were investigated.Results Anopheles funestus s.s. was most abundant species in Elende (85%) followed by Anopheles gambiae s.s. (15%) with both having a similar sporozoite infection rate. Both species exhibited high levels of resistance to pyrethroids (<40% mortality). An. gambiae s.s. was also resistant to DDT (9.9% mortality) and bendiocarb (54% mortality) while susceptible to organophosphate. An. funestus s.s. was resistant to dieldrin (1% mortality), DDT (86% mortality) but susceptible to carbamates and organophosphates. The DDT/pyrethroid L119F-GSTe2 resistance allele (8%) and G119S ace -1 resistance allele (15%) were detected in An. funestus s.s. and An. gambiae s.s. respectively. Furthermore, the high pyrethroid/DDT resistances in An. gambiae s.s. corresponded with an increase frequency of 1014F kdr allele (95%). The CYP6P9a P450 resistance allele was absent in the An. funestus s.s. population meanwhile transcriptional profiling of candidate cytochrome P450 genes reveals the over-expression of CYP6P5 , CYP6P9a and CYP6P9b. Conclusion The resistance to multiple insecticide classes observed in these vector populations alongside the high Plasmodium infection rate highlights the challenges that public health vector control programs encounter in sustaining the regular effectiveness of contemporary insecticide-based control interventions in forested areas. More particularly, the resistance observed against the carbamates and possible resistance against the organophosphates constitutes a major concern for IRS.