Efficacy of Interceptor® G2, a new long-lasting insecticidal net against wild pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae s.s. from Côte d’Ivoire: a semi-field trial

Background: The widespread insecticide resistance in malaria vector populations is a serious threat to the efficacy of vector control tools. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) supports the development of alternative tools that combine several insecticides with the aim of improving vector control and the management of insecticide resistance. In the present study, a long-lasting insecticidal net treated with a mixture of chlorfenapyr and alphacypermethrin was evaluated against wild pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae s.s in M’bé, Côte d’Ivoire. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) bottle tests were carried out with resistant An. gambiae s.s. of M’bé and the susceptible strain, to assess the resistance level to chlorfenapyr and alphacypermethrin. Results: CDC bottle bioassays revealed a high level of resistance of An. gambiae s.s. population from M’bé to alphacypermethrin, whereas they revealed low resistance to chlorfenapyr. In experimental huts, Interceptor® G2 that was unwashed or washed 20 times killed 87% and 82% of An. gambiae s.s., respectively, whereas Interceptor® LN that was either unwashed or washed 20 times killed only about 10% of the mosquitoes. The blood-feeding inhibition induced by Interceptor® was not significantly different compared to untreated nets, whereas Interceptor® G2 that was unwashed or washed 20 times induced 42% and 34% inhibition of blood-feeding, respectively. Conclusion: Interceptor® G2 met the WHOPES criteria to undergo a phase III study. Investigation of its efficacy at a community level and the conduct of randomized controlled trials dealing with epidemiological outputs are warranted in order to study the potential of Interceptor® G2 to better protect communities.