Mosquito Nets With PBO Help Overcome Pyrethroid Resistance

PBO nets prove 25% more effective than pyrethroid-only nets in national trials in Uganda. Transcript Mosquito nets imbued with insecticide are key to controlling malaria. So much so, that the mass distribution of bed nets with pyrethroids has led to a dramatic fall in malaria transmission. But this widespread use has also led to widespread resistance. Nets with PBO, piperonyl butoxide, might be the answer. PBO blocks out the mosquito's resistance mechanism so pyrethroid can work again. In recent testing on a national scale in Uganda, pyrethroid nets with PBO proved more effective, in areas of high and low malaria transmission - with different levels of pyrethroid resistance. The scale of the trial was massive; like having lots of different trials in one. The nets were about 25% better at reducing malaria transmission than nets with pyrethroid alone. Today PBO nets are now the dominant net type distributed in Africa. Source LLIN Evaluation in Uganda Project (LLINEUP) – Impact of long-lasting insecticidal nets with, and without, piperonyl butoxide on malaria indicators in Uganda: study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial About The Podcast The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute podcast is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.