Overcoming insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes by using faster-acting solid forms of deltamethrin.

The heat-activated form of commercial deltamethrin D-Fense Dust outperformed the material as purchased, dramatically increasing efficacy against all tested pyrethroid-resistant strains. This increase in lethality was retained for 13 months of storage under ambient conditions in the laboratory. Higher energy forms of commonly used insecticides may be employed to overcome various resistance mechanisms seen in African Anopheles mosquitoes through more rapid uptake of insecticide molecules from their respective solid surfaces. That is, resistant mosquitoes can be killed with an insecticide to which they are resistant without altering the molecular composition of the insecticide.