Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 July 2009
A strain of Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens) bred for malathion-specific resistance was found to be 650 fold resistant at LD50 when compared with a susceptible strain bred from the same stock. Resistance was more than 98% synergized by triphenyl phosphate and S,S,S-tributyl phosphorotrithioate, but unaffected by piperonyl butoxide. AChE inhibition by malaoxon varied slightly between the strains. Non-specific esterase activity as measured by the hydrolysis of α-naphthyl acetate was slightly reduced in the resistant strain whereas there were no inter-strain differences in the hydrolysis of β-naphthyl acetate. Products of in vitro metabolism of malathion were identified by thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry as α- and β-malathion mono-acids. It was therefore concluded that resistance was due to the hydrolytic breakdown of malathion by a malathion-specific carboxylesterase. The rate of in vitro malathion hydrolysis was found to be 31 times greater in the resistant strain. In vitro inhibition studies indicated that resistance is attributable to a carboxylesterase unique to the resistant strain. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to work recently carried out on malathion-specific resistance in dipterous species.