Discussion
This study assessed transposon-based structural variations’ role in
cytochrome P450-mediated metabolic resistance to insecticides in malaria
mosquitoes by characterising and studying the effect of a 4.3kb
intergenic insertion in a P450 cluster previously associated with
resistance in the malaria vector An. funestus. A 4.3kb structural
variant insertion first detected in East Africa in 2014 was shown to
have spread rapidly in Central Africa, notably throughout Cameroon and
continuing to move westward on the continent. Analysis of patterns and
selection speed of this locus showed its association with strong
resistance to pyrethroids, reduced bed net efficacy andPlasmodium infection, providing evidence that transposon-based
resistance mechanism could be an important driver of metabolic
resistance in malaria vectors.