In several insect species, resistance to pyrethroids and DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is linked to point mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) gene. Pyrethroid-based insecticides prolong the opening of sodium channels, causing paralysis known as a "knockdown" effect before mortality occurs. Point mutations in the VGSC gene result in decreased pyrethroid binding and reduced sensitivity to the insecticide-this resistance mechanism is known as knockdown resistance () as insects do not die but recover from paralysis with time.
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