qPCR Identification of the kdr Allele F1534C in Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gene (vgsc) of the Major Mosquito Vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Northern and Central Vietnam

Pyrethroid insecticides are currently the main tool for controlling major mosquito vectors of hemorrhagic fevers—Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. The widespread use of insecticides has led to the spread of insecticide resistance mutations (or kdr mutations) in mosquito populations. A population genetic study of kdr mutations provides information on changes in the genetic structure of mosquito populations as a result of anthropogenic impact and may be useful for making epidemiological prediction for the prevalence of Dengue and Chikungunya fevers. Multiplex PCR is traditionally used to identify kdr mutations in combination with sequencing of PCR fragments. We have developed a more productive method for identifying kdr mutations based on the SNP polymorphism analysis in the vgsc gene and qPCR. We identified the kdr mutation F1534C in Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus from the Ha Tinh province of Vietnam. In Ae. albopictus populations from Vietnam, this mutation was identified for the first time.