Abstract
The method used for bioassay of insecticidal activity is a vital cog in the wheel of structure-activity studies. An assay preparation which consists of recording muscle potentials from the dorsolongitudinal flight muscles of house fly gives sophisticated information on neural coordination in the thoracic ganglion with a relatively simple recording procedure. Quantitative responses are measured as the time from treatment until a disruption appears in neural coordination. The type of disruption in neural coordination gives a qualitative measure of poisoning. By applying compounds directly on the exposed thoracic ganglion, or the exposed and desheathed ganglion, some measure of intrinsic activity may be obtained. Using this approach, evidence for the mechanism of resistance to insecticides has been obtained for house fly strains resistant to organophosphates or pyrethroids, and intrinsic activity has been obtained for carbamates, organophosphates, pyrethroids and other chemicals with insecticidal activity.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adams, M.E., and T.A. Miller. 1978. Site of action of pyrethroids: Burst discharge in flight motor axons of house fly. Pestic. Biochem. Physiol. (in press).
Anderson, M. 1978. A microscopical study of the innervation of flight muscles in the tsetse fly. J. Morphol. 155: 19–34.
Brown, A.W.A. 1951. “Insect Control by Chemicals,” New York: Wiley.
Brown, A.W.A. 1963. Chemical Inquiries. In: “ Insect Pathology” Vol. I, ed. by E.A. Steinhaus, New York: Academic Press.
Burt, P.E., and R.E. Goodchild. 1971. The site of action of Pyrethrin I in the nervous system of the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 14: 179–189.
Camougis, G. 1973. Mode of action of pyrethrum on arthropod nerves. In: “Pyrethrum: The Natural Insecticide,” ed. by J.E. Treherne, New York: Academic Press.
Coggshall, J.C. 1978. Neurons associated with the dorsal longitudinal flight muscles of Drosophila melanogaster. J. Comp. Neurol. 177: 707–720.
Greenberg, B. 1971. “Flies and Disease” Vol. I, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Harcombe, E.S., and R.J. Wyman. 1977. Output pattern generation by Drosophila flight motoneurons. J. Neurophysiol. 40: 1066–1077.
Hardie, J., and S.N. Irving. 1977. A preparation enriched with insect somatic, excitatory, neuromuscular terminals. Brain Res. 120: 138–140.
Hart, R.J., C. Potter, and R.G. Wilson. 1977. Factors governing the toxicity of putative synaptic transmitters and their analogues when injected into the haemocoel of adult male Lucilia sericata.
Heide, G. 1971. Die Funktion der nicht-fibrillären Flugmuskel von Calliphora. Teil I: Muskuläre Mechanismen der Flugsteuering und ihre nervöse Kontrolle. Zool. Jb. Abt. Allg. Zool. Physiol. 76: 9–137.
Ikeda, K., and W.D. Kaplan. 1974. Neurophysiological genetics in Drosophila melanogaster. Am. Zool. 14: 1055–1066.
Ikeda, K., N. Hori, and T. Tsuruhara. 1975. Inhibitory command neuron releasing patterned motor activity in Drosophila melanogaster. Fed. Proa. 34: 359.
Ikeda, K., N. Hori, and T. Tsuruhara. 1976. Motor innervation of the dorsal longitudinal flight muscle of Sarcophaga bullata. Am. Zool. 16: 179.
King, D. 1977. An interneuron in Drosophila synapses with a peripheral nerve onto the dorsal longitudinal muscle motoneurons. Neurosoi. Abstr. 3: 180.
Miller, T.A. 1976. Distinguishing between carbamate and organophosphate insecticide poisoning in house flies by symtomology. Pestio. Biochem. Physiol. 6: 307–319.
Miller, T., and J.M. Kennedy. 1972. Flight motor activity of house flies as affected by temperature and insecticides. Pestio. Biochem. Physiol. 2: 206–222.
Miller, T., and J.M. Kennedy. 1973. In vivo measurement of house fly temperature, flight muscle potentials, heartbeat and locomotion during insecticide poisoning. Pestio. Biochem. Physiol. 3: 370–383.
Miller, T., and M.E. Adams. 1977. Central vs. peripheral action of pyrethroids on the housefly nervous system. In: “Synthetic Pyrethroids,” ed. by M. Elliott, ACS Symposium Series, No. 42, pp. 98-115.
Miller, T., L.J. Bruner, and T.R. Fukuto. 1971. The effect of light, temperature, and DDT poisoning on housefly locomotion and flight muscle activity. Pestie. Biochem. Physiol. 1: 483–491.
Miller, T., J.M. Kennedy, C. Collins, and T.R. Fukuto. 1973. An examination of temporal differences in the action of carbamate and organophosphorus insecticides on house flies. Pestie. Biochem. Physiol. 3: 447–455.
Miller, T., M. Maynard, and J.M. Kennedy. 1978. Structure-activity studies of picrotoxinin. Pestic. Biochem. Physiol. (submitted).
Mulloney, B. 1969. Interneurons in the central nervous system of flies and the start of flight. Z. Vergl. Physiologie 64: 243–253.
Mulloney, B. 1970a. Organization of flight motoneurons of Diptera. J. Neurophysiol. 33: 86–95.
Mulloney, B. 1970b. Impulse patterns in the flight motor neurons of Bombus californicus and Oneopeltus fasciatus. J. Exp. Biol. 52: 59–77.
Mulloney, B. 1976. Control of flight and related behavior by the central nervous systems of Insects. In: “Insect Flight,” ed. by R.C. Rainey, New York: Wiley, pp. 16–30.
Nachtigall, W. 1968. Elektrophysiologische und kinematische Untersuchungen über Start und Stop des Flugmotors von Fliegen. Z. Vergl. Physiol. 61: 1–20.
Nachtigall, W., and D.M. Wilson. 1967. Neuromuscular control of dipteran flight. J. Exp. Biol. 47: 77–97.
Narahashi, T. 1971. Effects of insecticides on excitable tissues. Adv. Insect Physiol. 8: 1–93.
Ramade, F. 1968. Contribution à l’étude du mode d’action de certains insecticides de synthèse, plus particulièrement du lindane, et des phénomènes de resistance à ces composés chez Musca domestica L. Ann. Inst. Nat. Agv. Paris, (N.S.) 5: 1–268.
Tsukamoto, M., T. Narahashi, and I. Yamasaki. 1965. Genetic control of low nerve sensitivity to DDT in insecticide-resistant houseflies. Botyu-Kagaku 30: 128–132.
Tung, A.S.-C., and W.-Y. Lee. 1968. The comparative study of the central nervous system between larvae and adults of house flies, Musca domestica L. (Muscidae, Diptera, Hexapoda). Bull. Inst. Zool. Academia Sinica 7: 7–25.
Vater, G. 1961. Vergleichende Untersuchungen über die Morphologie des Nervensystems der Dipteran. Z. Wiss Zool. 167: 137–196.
Yamasaki, T., and T. Narahashi. 1962. Nerve sensitivity and resistance to DDT in houseflies. Jap. J. Appl. Entomol. Zool. 6: 293–297.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1979 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Miller, T.A. (1979). Mode of Action of Insecticides: Insights Gained from Neurophysiological Preparations of Intact or Dissected Insects. In: Narahashi, T. (eds) Neurotoxicology of Insecticides and Pheromones. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0970-3_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-0970-3_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-0972-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-0970-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive