Low Frequency of Knockdown Resistance Mutations in Musca domestica (Muscidae: Diptera) Collected From Northwestern Iran

Abstract

Musca domestica L., the common housefly, is a very important mechanical vector of pathogens. Continuous exposure to pyrethroid insecticides has led to insecticide resistance in houseflies. Some mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene (vgsc) reduce the binding affinity of pyrethroids target site insensitivity. We collected houseflies from the Urmia district of Northwestern Iran. Following DNA extraction, 580 bp regions of the vgsc known to contain knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations were amplified and sequenced using specific primers. The amplified region contained two exons (211-bp and 248-bp) and three introns. There were eight polymorphic sites between M. domestica insecticide-susceptible (MDU38813), super-kdr (NW_004774263) and aabys (KT897924) strains from GenBank in comparison with our sequences. Two amino acid substitutions were detected, N967Y (% polymorphism = 9.5%) and L1014H (% polymorphism = 4.7%) that can be associated with resistance. The common and previously reported mutations L1014F and M918T+L1014F were not detected. Diagnosis based on sequence analysis is useful for monitoring the frequency of pyrethroid resistance mutations, which will be helpful in avoiding overuse of this class of insecticides in house fly control.

Keywords: kdr; housefly; mutation; voltage-sensitive sodium channel.