Imidacloprid and thiamethoxam induced mutations in internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of Anopheles stephensi

The present article deals with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotoxicity evaluation of neonicotinoid pesticides, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, by using the genome of a mosquito Anopheles stephensi taken as an experimental model. After treatment of the second instar larvae with LC(20) of the pesticides for 24 h, the induced nucleotide sequence variations in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of freshly hatched unfed control and treated individuals was studied from the sequence alignment data and the mutations in the form of insertion, deletion and substitution of bases were recorded. Measurable differences, indicative of the genetic damage due to imidacloprid and thiamethoxam were observed when ITS2 sequences of control and treated individuals were compared. It was found that imidacloprid-treated individual had 8 deletions, 29 insertions, 18 transitions and 33 transversions, whereas thiamethoxam-treated individual had 10 deletions, 8 insertions, 47 transitions and 68 transversions.