Susceptibilidad al malatión y perfiles bioquímicos en poblaciones agrícolas y urbanas de Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae)

Óscar Barreto García; Samuel Cruz Esteban; Francisco Solis Santoyo; Yukari Ramírez Victorio; Rubén Guevara Gutiérrez; David Alavéz Rosas; Jovani Ruiz-Toledo

doi:10.21829/azm.2026.4212860

Authors

Óscar Barreto García Universidad de Guadalajara https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7715-1673
Samuel Cruz Esteban Independent Research https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4360-2426
Francisco Solis Santoyo Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Tapachula https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1862-4834
Yukari Ramírez Victorio Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas
Rubén Guevara Gutiérrez Universidad de Guadalajara https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0940-7061
David Alavéz Rosas Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8695-7329
Jovani Ruiz-Toledo Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5733-7235

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2026.4212860

Keywords:

Musca domestica, malathion resistance, biochemical resistance mechanisms, detoxification enzymes, acetylcholinesterase, glutathione S-transferase, cytochrome P450, agroecosystems

Abstract

The house fly, Musca domestica L., is a synanthropic species of public health and veterinary importance whose recurrent exposure to insecticides may promote the development of resistance. The objective of this study was to evaluate malathion resistance and characterize the activity profiles of enzymes associated with resistance mechanisms in M. domestica populations collected from a mango orchard and an urban waste disposal site in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Susceptibility to malathion was evaluated using topical application bioassays and Probit regression, with a susceptible strain used as the toxicological reference. Basal activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), α- and β-esterases, esterase activity measured using p-nitrophenyl acetate (pNPA), glutathione S-transferases (GST), and cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases were also determined in the two field populations. The agricultural population showed the lowest susceptibility to malathion, with an LD₅₀ of 10.65 µg a.i./fly and an LD₉₀ of 61.01 µg a.i./fly, corresponding to resistance ratios of 5.28 and 6.00, respectively. In the urban population, the LD₅₀ was 5.13 µg a.i./fly and the LD₉₀ was 31.65 µg a.i./fly, with resistance ratios of 2.54 and 3.11, respectively. Esterase activity measured using pNPA was significantly higher in the agricultural population, whereas AChE, GST, and P450 activities were higher in the urban population; α- and β-esterase activities did not differ significantly between populations. These results demonstrate different levels of malathion resistance and distinct biochemical profiles between the populations studied. These findings highlight the importance of integrating toxicological bioassays and biochemical analyses into resistance surveillance and management programs for M. domestica.

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