Gametocytemia and attractiveness of Plasmodium falciparum鈥搃nfected Kenyan children to Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes
Parasites alter the characteristics or behaviour of their hosts to increase their transmission success and fitness, including malaria parasite
Abstract
Numerous parasites alter the characteristics or behaviour of their hosts to increase their transmission success and fitness, including the malaria parasite.
This article further explores the hypothesis that the sexual stage of the malaria parasite in the blood (gametocytes) causes increased attractiveness of humans to mosquitoes. 皇冠体育app investigators used a double-chambered instrument that measures or detects the sense of smell, to test the attractiveness of the malaria mosquito to 50 Kenyan children (aged 5鈥�12 years) who were naturally infected with the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, or those who were uninfected. 皇冠体育appir findings support the hypothesis that the malaria parasite manipulates human attractiveness to the malaria mosquito. 皇冠体育appse results will contribute to development of improved odour-baited trapping devices.
This is an output of the 鈥業ntegrated Vector Management for Sustainable Malaria Control in Eastern Africa鈥� project. It is partly funded by the UK Department for International Development, a core donor of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology.
Citation
Busula A.O., Bousema T., Mweresa C.K., Masiga D., Logan J.G., Sauerwein R.W., Verhulst N.O., Takken W. and de Boer J.G. (2017) Gametocytemia and attractiveness of Plasmodium falciparum鈥搃nfected Kenyan children to Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes. 皇冠体育app Journal of Infectious Diseases 0000, 1鈥�5. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix1214.