Background With the increasing threat of the worldwide spread of mosquito-borne infectious diseases, consumer interest in anti-mosquito textiles that protect against mosquito bites is also increasing. Accordingly, repellent- or insecticide-treated textiles are gaining popularity. The standardization of commercial textile products is, therefore, indispensable for an authentic and objective evaluation of these products. Here we report a textile testing method using an artificial blood-feeding system that does not involve human volunteers or live animals, which aligns with the policy of protecting human and animal welfare. Methods The attractive blood-feeding device (ABFD) was designed using the Hemotek® membrane feeding system. The repellency of DEET, icaridin and permethrin was assayed using unfed female adults of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) under two different test conditions, namely choice and no-choice tests. The choice test consisted of two feeding units, one chemically treated and untreated, that were installed on the ABFD; mosquitoes attracted to and resting on the feeding units were counted and the overall blood-feeding rates recorded. The no-choice test consisted of two feeding units treated with the same chemical that were installed on the ABFD; mosquitoes attracted to and resting on the feeding units were counted and the blood-feeding rates were recorded. A control test was conducted using two feeding units, both sides of which were untreated. Results In the choice test, high repellency (> 95% inhibition of resting on the treated surface) of 1% DEET and 2% icaridin was observed, whereas 2% permethrin was not an effective repellent. Also, high blood-feeding inhibition (> 95%) was observed for 2% DEET and 2% icaridin. In the no-choice test, high repellency was observed for 1% DEET and 2% icaridin, whereas the repellency of 2% permethrin was low. Also, high blood-feeding inhibition was observed for 2% DEET, 4% icaridin and 2% permethrin. Conclusions The accuracy and reproducibility of the developed method demonstrate that the ABFD may be widely used for fundamental experiments in the field of mosquito physiology, for the development of new repellent chemicals and in evaluation studies of mosquito repellent products, such as anti-mosquito textiles. The further development of the membrane and feeding unit systems will enable a more practical evaluation of mosquito repellents and blood-feeding inhibitors, such as pyrethroids.

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are arbovirus vectors of public health concern. Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faces a long-standing risk of Aedes-borne viruses, data on insecticide resistance of Aedes populations are absent. To address this gap, we investigated insecticide susceptibility of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in areas with a high risk of arbovirus transmission. We also investigated the frequency of knock-down resistance (kdr) mutations in Ae. aegypti. Immature stages of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were collected from two sites in Kinshasa (Lingwala and Cité Verte) between April and July 2017 and reared to the adult stage. Wild-caught adult Ae. aegypti were collected in 2016 in another site (Ngaliema). Female Ae. aegypti (from Lingwala) and Ae. albopictus (from Cité Verte) were used in WHO tube insecticide susceptibility tests. The F1534C, V1016I and V410L kdr mutations were genotyped in Ae. aegypti from Lingwala and Ngaliema. We observed Ae. aegypti to be susceptible to bendiocarb, propoxur and malathion, suspected resistant to permethrin, and resistant to deltamethrin and DDT. Aedes albopictus was susceptible to bendiocarb, propoxur, malathion and permethrin, suspected resistant to deltamethrin and resistant to DDT. While F1534C and V1016I were not detected, a few Ae. aegypti from Lingwala were heterozygous for the mutation V410L. This study reports for the first time the insecticide resistance status of Aedes spp. and the detection of the kdr mutation V410L in Ae. aegypti in DRC. Given the resistance profile, carbamates and potentially malathion are recommended insecticide options against Ae. aegypti in Kinshasa. It will be important to develop Aedes control strategies based on the resistance patterns of Aedes in Kinshasa.