Challenges and opportunities for strengthening South American responses to insecticide resistance in disease vectors: Lessons from the WINSA workshop in Bogotá, Colombia

@article{martins2026challenges,
  title = {{Challenges and opportunities for strengthening South American responses to insecticide resistance in disease vectors: Lessons from the WINSA workshop in Bogotá, Colombia}},
  author = {Ademir J Martins and Martha Ahumada and Tashanna S Bowman and Olga Lucia Cabrera and Kartika Doerdjan-Ramoutar and Luciana Dos Santos Dias and Jean-Bernard Duchemin and Stephane Duchon and Luisa Figueroa and Adriana E Flores and Christian R González and Nilsa González-Brítez and Laura Harburguer and Audrey Lenhart and José Bento Pereira Lima and Ronald Lopez and Diego Morales and Martha L Quinones and Miriam Palomino Salcedo and Gabriela Willat and Vincent Corbel},
  journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014809},
  url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014809},
  note = {CC0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Challenges and opportunities for strengthening South American responses to insecticide resistance in disease vectors: Lessons from the WINSA workshop in Bogotá, Colombia
AU  - Ademir J Martins
AU  - Martha Ahumada
AU  - Tashanna S Bowman
AU  - Olga Lucia Cabrera
AU  - Kartika Doerdjan-Ramoutar
AU  - Luciana Dos Santos Dias
AU  - Jean-Bernard Duchemin
AU  - Stephane Duchon
AU  - Luisa Figueroa
AU  - Adriana E Flores
AU  - Christian R González
AU  - Nilsa González-Brítez
AU  - Laura Harburguer
AU  - Audrey Lenhart
AU  - José Bento Pereira Lima
AU  - Ronald Lopez
AU  - Diego Morales
AU  - Martha L Quinones
AU  - Miriam Palomino Salcedo
AU  - Gabriela Willat
AU  - Vincent Corbel
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014809
UR  - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014809
AB  - Background: Vector-borne diseases remain a major and evolving public health challenge in South America, where arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and malaria continue to expand in incidence and geographic distribution. Insecticides remain central to vector control programs; however, the rapid emergence and spread of insecticide resistance across multiple vector species increasingly threaten the effectiveness and sustainability of these interventions. In response to these challenges, the Worldwide Insecticide Resistance Network—South America (WINSA) organized a regional workshop in Bogotá, Colombia, in March 2026 to assess the current status of insecticide resistance, identify research priorities, and strengthen regional collaboration. Methods: The workshop brought together experts from 13 South American countries and territories representing academia, public health institutions, and international organizations. Sixteen presentations addressed the current status of insecticide resistance in major disease vectors, including mosquitoes and triatomines. Discussions covered surveillance systems, resistance mechanisms, molecular and genomic tools, operational challenges, and innovative vector control strategies. Results: The workshop highlighted widespread resistance to pyrethroids and organophosphates across multiple vector species in South America. High frequencies of knockdown resistance mutations (kdr) and evidence of metabolic resistance mechanisms were reported in several countries, particularly in the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Emerging resistance to novel insecticide formulations was also identified. Participants emphasized major disparities in surveillance capacity, insufficient standardization of methodologies, and uneven geographical coverage across the region. An Integrated Vector Resistance management framework, integrating biological, molecular, genomic, and spatial surveillance approaches, was proposed to support evidence-based decision-making in vector control. Innovative approaches, including insecticide combinations, spatial repellents, and insecticidal paints, were presented as promising complementary tools for integrated vector management. Conclusions: Insecticide resistance represents a growing threat to the control of arboviral and malaria vectors in South America. Strengthening harmonized surveillance systems, integrating molecular and genomic tools, and improving regional coordination are critical priorities. WINSA provides a strategic scientific and technical platform to support collaborative research, capacity building, harmonized resistance surveillance, and the translation of resistance evidence into information that can support vector-control decision-making across the region.
SN  - 1935-2735
SN  - 1935-2727
ER  -