Malaria Transmission
Malaria Transmission - Related Videos
15:03
Building a Better Mosquito: Identifying the Genes Enabling Malaria and Dengue Fever Resistance in A. gambiae and A. aegypti Mosquitoes
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Cited by 2 •
2007
In this interview, George Dimopoulos focuses on the physiological mechanisms used by mosquitoes to combat Plasmodium falciparum and dengue virus infections. Explanation is given for how key refractory genes, those genes conferring resistance to vector pathogens, are identified in the mosquito and how this knowledge can be used to generate transgenic mosquitoes that are unable to carry the malaria parasite or dengue virus.
13:39
Protocol for Production of a Genetic Cross of the Rodent Malaria Parasites
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Cited by 9 •
2011
Genetic crosses of rodent malaria parasites are performed by feeding two genetically distinct parasites to mosquitoes. Recombinant progeny are cloned from mouse blood after allowing mosquitoes to bite infected mice. This video shows how to produce genetic crosses of Plasmodium yoelii and is applicable to other rodent malaria parasites.
01:29
Malaria
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2026
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
06:54
Injection of An. stephensi Embryos to Generate Malaria-resistant Mosquitoes
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Cited by 9 •
2007
Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes are vectors for malaria inhabiting India and throughout Asia. This video demonstrates the technique for performing microinjections of this species with transgenes that will confer resistance to the malaria to the mosquito. Much of the methodology demonstrated in this video is applicable to microinjection techniques of other mosquito species.
08:23
Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages
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Cited by 10 •
2019
Due to the striking similarities of the life cycle and biology of rodent malaria parasites to human malaria parasites, rodent malaria models have become indispensable for malaria research. Herein, we standardized some of the most important techniques used in the phenotypic analysis of wild-type and transgenic rodent malaria species.
FAQs
After injected sporozoites reach the liver, they multiply before releasing merozoites into the bloodstream. The merozoites then invade red blood cells, creating a stage that supports further parasite development in the infected host. This change in location is biologically important because it connects initial infection in liver tissue with blood-associated disease processes.
Gametocytes are parasite forms that develop among the blood-stage population and can be taken up when a mosquito feeds on an infected person. They provide the stage required for sexual reproduction inside the mosquito. Without this transition from human blood to mosquito, the parasite would not produce forms capable of infecting another person.
The mosquito is not merely a carrier between two hosts. After ingesting gametocytes, it supports their sexual reproduction and the development of parasite forms that can infect a subsequent human host. This biological step explains why transmission depends on completion of parasite development within the mosquito rather than on direct movement between people.
Control measures can target both the mosquito and the parasite in people. Insecticide-treated bed nets and other vector-control measures reduce opportunities for infected mosquitoes to bite, while diagnostic testing and antimalarial treatment address infection in humans. Using these approaches together is relevant because the cycle requires compatible stages in both hosts.
Researchers study the linked stages in humans and mosquitoes to understand how Plasmodium moves between hosts and where the cycle can be disrupted. Public-health programs use that knowledge to guide vector control, diagnostic testing, treatment, and transmission-reduction efforts. The resulting information supports strategies intended to reduce the disease burden associated with malaria.
The cycle depends on different biological environments. In humans, parasites pass through liver and red-blood-cell stages, while in female Anopheles mosquitoes, gametocytes undergo sexual reproduction and generate infective forms. Examining both hosts helps biology researchers interpret transmission as a linked life cycle and supports interventions that address more than one stage or host.