Trials to infect Anopheles stephensi with Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis by the membrane feeding technique.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to find optimal conditions for the membrane feeding technique to obtain maximum infection rates of mosquitoes with Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis. The results show that the malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis is most infective to Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes on day 3 of the infection in the mice, 1 day before the peak of parasitaemia. The mortality rate of the mosquitoes fed on mice on day 3 after infection was the highest as compared to mosquitoes fed on other days after infection. Gametocytes from mice 3 days after infection were fed to mosquitoes by three different membrane feeding methods. The results indicate that feeding during the first 10 min after blood collection gave the highest infection rates. Keeping the blood meal at a pH of 7.2 yields higher infection rates than keeping it at pH of 8.5. Stirring of the blood and supplying it with CO2 is not necessary when feeding of the mosquitoes is completed within the first 10 min after collection of the blood.