Genomic surveillance of Anopheles mosquitoes on the Bijagós Archipelago using custom targeted amplicon sequencing identifies mutations associated with insecticide resistance

A genomic surveillance study of Anopheles mosquitoes on the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, identified four insecticide resistance mutations, including the first report of the vgsc L995F kdr-west allele in Anopheles melas. The research used high-throughput multiplex amplicon sequencing to analyze 214 mosquitoes from 13 islands, detecting low overall prevalence of resistance markers but highlighting higher levels of vgsc L995F and N1570Y mutations on Bubaque Island, the most populous and connected island in the archipelago. These findings underscore the need for continued monitoring, particularly given the reliance on pyrethroid insecticide-treated nets for malaria control in the region.

Moss, S., Pretorius, E., Ceesay, S., Hutchins, H., da Silva, E. T., Ndiath, M. O., Jones, R. T., Vasileva, H., Phelan, J., Acford-Palmer, H., Collins, E., Rodrigues, A., Krishna, S., Clark, T. G., Last, A., & Campino, S. (2024). Genomic surveillance of Anopheles mosquitoes on the Bijagós Archipelago using custom targeted amplicon sequencing identifies mutations associated with insecticide resistance. Parasites & Vectors, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-06085-5