MECHANISMS OF PERMETHRIN RESISTANCE IN HUMAN BODY LOUSE PEDICULUS HUMANUS HUMANUS L. (PHTHIRAPTERA: PEDICULIDAE): АВС-TRANSPORTERS

Abstract

The contribution of the ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters) to the permethrin resistance mechanism in human body louse Pediculus humanus humanus L., 1758, has been investigated with toxicological method. Lice were collected from the clothes of homeless people in shelters in Moscow. In only a few cases, the toxicity of permethrin during pre-treatment of insects with verapamil, which inhibits the activity of ABC transporters, increased (SR 1.4, 1.6, and 2.8). It indicated the involvement of ABC transporters in the resistance development to permethrin in these lice micropopulations. In these cases, the proportion of permethrin-resistant individuals estimated by the modified WHO method was relatively low (20-37%).The use of verapamil has not completely overcome permethrin resistance of lice in any cases, indicating the secondary role of these transport proteins in the development of resistance in P.h.humanus.