BackgroundThe emergence of Anopheles populations capable of withstanding lethal doses of insecticides has weakened the efficacy of most insecticide based strategies of vector control and, has highlighted the need for further studies on the mechanisms of insecticide resistance and the various factors selecting resistant populations of mosquitoes. This research targeted the analysis of breeding sites and the oviposition behaviour of susceptible and resistant populations of Anopheles in localities of spilled petroleum products. The aim was to establish the possible contribution of oil spillage in the selection of pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors.MethodsAnopheles breeding sites were identified and the insecticide susceptibility of the Anopheles gambiae populations mapped in 15 localities of South Western Nigeria. The presence of oil particles as well as the turbidity, the dissolved oxygen and the pH of each identified breeding site was recorded. Data were cross-analysed to correlate the habitat types and the insecticide susceptibility status of emerging mosquitoes. The second phase of this study was basically a laboratory model to provide more information on the implication of the spillage of petroleum on the selection of pyrethroid resistance in An. gambiae.ResultsModerate levels of resistance following exposure to permethrin-impregnated papers were recorded with the majority of An. gambiae samples collected in the South Western Nigeria. Data from this study established a link between the constituency of the breeding sites and the resistance status of the emerging Anopheles.ConclusionThis study has revealed the segregational occupation of breeding habitats by pyrethroid resistant and susceptible strains of An. gambiae in south-western Nigeria. Compiled results from field and laboratory research point out clear relationships between oil spillage and pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors. The identification of this factor of resistance could serve as strong information in the management of insecticide resistance in some West African settings.

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Entomological surveys were undertaken between June and December 2006 in N'gatty and Allaba. These villages are located in southern Ivory Coast in a laguna area in Dabou department. In these villages, there are large swampy areas, which have caused the multiplication of anthropophilic Culicidae. Mosquitoes have been collected at preimaginal stage at the time of the larval prospecting and at adult stage through human landing catch. Larval collections have been made using the classic method of "dipping". Larvae have been identified to the genus level. Then, they have been bred in the laboratory to identify adults. Adults collection has been made once a month during three consecutive nights by human landing catch inside houses. Adults have been identified to the specific level. Eight genera of mosquitoes have been collected in these two villages: Aedes, Anopheles, Coquillettidia, Culex, Eretmapodites, Mansonia, Toxorhynchites and Uranotaenia. Twenty-four species have been listed during this stu y. The genus Mansonia is the most predominant with 86% (N = 15,811) and 80% (N = 1,385), respectively, in N'gatty and Allaba. The average biting rate per day varies between N'gatty and Allaba. It is estimated to 308 bites per human per night (b/h/n) in N'gatty and 72 b/h/n in Allaba. In these villages, mosquito nuisance is mainly due to Mansonia with 264 b/h/n and 58 b/h/n, respectively, in N'gatty and Allaba. However, Anopheles gambiae s.l. average rate was 12 b/h/n in N'gatty and 2 b/h/n in Allaba.