Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) is the principal mosquito vector for many of the most medically significant arboviruses that threaten global public health. A better understanding of time-of-day variation in insecticide resistance mediated by detoxifying enzymes in Ae. aegypti could allow for targeted insecticide applications when susceptibility is highest and the upregulation of detoxification enzymes is lowest. Using a susceptible and metabolically resistant field Ae. aegypti strain from Florida, we investigated simulated photoperiodic changes in permethrin susceptibility and upregulation of detoxification enzymes by measuring permethrin LD50 and expression of detoxification genes (GSTE7, GSTE2, CCEae3A, CYP9J28, and CYPBB2) for both strains every 4 h over a 24 h (12:12 h light: dark) cycle. We found that in both Ae. aegypti strains, permethrin susceptibility was lower during the day as compared to evening, with susceptibility lowest at dusk (18:00) and highest between 02:00 and 14:00. Although no significant changes in gene expression over time were observed in the susceptible Ae. aegypti strain, we documented increased expression of all investigated detoxification genes in the metabolically resistant field Ae. aegypti strain during the night (18:00 to 02:00) as compared to the day (06:00 to 14:00). These data suggest that permethrin applications made between midnight and dawn (06:00) may be more effective against Ae. aegypti as compared to applications made at dusk (approximately 18:00).
