Insecticide Resistance Mutations, Enzymatic Activity, and Pathogen Infection in Culex quinquefasciatus from Haiti
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsComments are included in the attached review report.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Please see attached Response to Review.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe manuscript addresses an important topic related to insecticide resistance and microbial diversity in Culex quinquefasciatus, which is relevant for vector control programs. The study combines molecular detection of resistance markers with microbiome characterization, providing valuable regional information.
However, some aspects should be improved before publication. The introduction would benefit from additional recent references linking insecticide resistance and mosquito microbiota. Methodological details regarding sampling criteria and bioinformatic analyses should be clarified to improve reproducibility. In addition, some conclusions appear stronger than supported by the presented data and should be moderated or better justified.
Overall, the manuscript has scientific merit and could be suitable for publication after minor to moderate revisions.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageThe English language is generally understandable throughout the manuscript; however, several grammatical inconsistencies and sentence structures should be improved to enhance clarity and readability. Minor editing by a native English speaker or professional language editing service is recommended to improve the overall flow and scientific expression of the manuscript.
Author Response
Please see attached Response to Review.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsTanachaiwiwat et al., in their manuscript "Insecticide resistance mutations, enzymatic activity, and pathogen infection in Culex quinquefasciatus from Haiti," present data on markers associated with insecticide resistance and pathogens found in the mosquito vector Cx quinquefasciatus from Haiti.
Cx quinquefasciatus is an important mosquito vector and field data on insecticide resistance would be valuable for determining an effective vector control strategy, which in turn helps reduce the burden of mosquito-borne diseases.
Insecticidal resistance may vary by region, depending on the history of insecticide use. Therefore, it is crucial to identify insecticide levels in local populations and their mechanisms. Similar studies have been carried out on the vector Aedes aegypti in Haiti.
The manuscript is very descriptive, but the data collection and presentation are technically sound and easy to follow. Overall, the authors have done a very good job and the manuscript aligns well with the journal’s scope.
- In addition to the kdr L1014F VSGC and G119S AchE-1 mutations, the authors could also investigate the AchE-1 F290V target site, as its mutation can sometimes confer resistance, though not as prominently as G119S. Recent work by Wen et al., 2026, also identifies two novel mutations, RDL-A296G and VGSC-A1007T, which suggest the growing resistance landscape (though I couldn’t access Wen et al., 2026, and it appears to be awaiting final publication- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2026.1798952/abstract ).
- I also feel a major miss from this manuscript is the lack of bioassay experiments to determine the different insecticidal resistance levels of field-collected Cx quinquefasciatus (Could be outside the scope, but such data would have enhanced the manuscript, such as linking the actual insecticide data to the different target site mutations and enzymatic activity. Become less descriptive too.)
- Also, resistance levels can vary across mosquito life stages (e.g larvae vs adults), and I believe the authors will include insecticide bioassay tests across various developmental stages when they conduct such experiments.
- The introduction is well written and highlights the importance of this work for developing effective vector control strategies.
- The methodology section is thorough and easy to follow, with details on collection sites and raw data provided in the supplementary materials. If you have any version of the CZ ID pipeline used, please include it. Otherwise, well done!
- Results – Figures: some figures could benefit from improved colour schemes (e.g Figure 1b, which is difficult to differentiate between GS/SS mutations). Figures 2 and 3 would look better with a white or transparent background and no gridlines. Also, all data points could be jittered for clarity. the current scatter plots look messy (though the scattered points still show the overall distribution). Also, some points are bolder than others—please specify if this was intentional. Figure 5, enhance the colour scheme, and I think Fusarium with a superscript “a” is a typo?
Author Response
Please see attached Response to Review.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
