COMPARATIVE TOXICITIES OF FOUR WHO-RECOMMENDED LARVICIDES AGAINST LAB STRAIN OF ANOPHELES STEPHENSI IN IRAN

Investigation on the current response of An.stephensi larvae to four WHO recommended larvicides, i.e. Malathion, temephos, chlorpyrifos and fenitrothion, were carried out in the laboratory in 1999. Diagnostic concentrations of pesticides only yielded 100% mortality with malathion. In contrast, levels of susceptibility to temphos, chlorpyrifos (0.025 mg/l) and temephos (0.625 mg/l) killed 72%, 90% and 87% of the population of An. Stephensi, respectively. At the LC50 level the efficacies of chlorpyrifos and fenitrothion was higher than malathion and temephos. Relative toxicity of chlorpyrifos and fenitrothion was 6 and 24 times more than temephos and Malathion. The findings of this study suggest that the diagnostic dose of organophosphate larvicides depends on time, location, strain and genetically background of resistance to insecticides; hence they can be attributed to all species of anopheles.