Insecticide resistance in malaria vectors: a new approach to an old subject.

The application of biochemical and molecular biological techniques to the study of insecticide resistance has revolutionized our understanding of the underlying genetic basis of resistance. Using the examples of glutathione S-transferase and esterase-based metabolic insecticide resistance, three different routes via which increased insecticide detoxication can be achieved are elucidated. An understanding of these molecular pathways opens up new avenues for manipulating mosquito populations to restore insecticide susceptibility to the vectors.