Transmission of Plasmodium knowlesi by Anopheles stephensi

Hawking, Frank; Mellanby, Helen; Terry, R. J.; Webber, Winfrith A. F.

doi:10.1016/0035-9203(57)90072-x

Cited by 21 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Sporozoite-positive salivary glands have been reported in A. stephensi (33,38,39,79), A. annularis (79,80), A. aztecus (33), A. atroparvus (39,88), A. freeborni (22), and A. dirus (22,25). In only the last species were sporozoites found in abundance.…”

Section: Experimental Vectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Plasmodium knowlesi: A Malaria Parasite of Monkeys and Humans

Collins

2012

Annu. Rev. Entomol.

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Plasmodium knowlesi is a malaria parasite of monkeys of Southeast Asia that is transmitted by mosquitoes of the Anopheles leucosphyrus group. Humans are frequently infected with this parasite and misdiagnosed as being infected with Plasmodium malariae. The parasite was a major monkey animal model for developing antimalarial vaccines and investigations of the biology of parasite invasion. P. knowlesi is the first monkey malaria parasite genome to be sequenced and annotated.

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Section: Experimental Vectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In only the last species were sporozoites found in abundance. A. stephensi was first used to transmit the parasite from monkey to monkey (38,39). However, the sporozoite counts in the salivary glands were low.…”

Section: Experimental Vectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasmodium knowlesi: A Malaria Parasite of Monkeys and Humans

Collins

2012

Annu. Rev. Entomol.

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“…Further, the introduction of An. stephensi since 2016 is quite alarming since its known to be a notorious vector in transmitting both P. falciparum and P. vivax , as well as being capable of transmitting zoonotic malaria parasites, such as Plasmodium knowlesi [ 54 ]. This urges for improving the vector control strategies in any area with change in the vector composition or change in the vector behaviour [ 17 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood meal profile and positivity rate with malaria parasites among different malaria vectors in Sudan

Altahir

Abdelbagi

Abubakr

et al. 2022

Malar J

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Background Malaria is a life-threatening public health problem globally with particularly heavy burden in the sub-Saharan Africa including Sudan. The understanding of feeding preference of malaria vectors on different hosts is a major challenge for hindering the transmission cycle of malaria. In this study, blood meals taken by blood-fed Anopheles mosquitoes collected from the field in malaria endemic areas of Sudan were analysed for source of blood meal and malaria parasite presence. Methods Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from different regions in Sudan: Khartoum state, Sennar state, Northern state, and El Gedarif state between September 2020 and February 2021. Anopheles mosquitoes were collected using the standard pyrethrum spray catch and back-pack aspirator. Mosquito samples were sorted and morphologically identified to species level using international identification keys. Morphologically identified mosquito species were also confirmed using PCR. Genomic DNA was extracted from mosquitoes for molecular identification of blood meal source and parasite detection. The presence of Plasmodium species DNA in each mosquito sample was investigated using semi-nested PCR. Frequency of each blood meal source, Anopheles mosquito vector, and malaria parasite detected was calculated. Positivity rate of each fed female Anopheles mosquito was calculated for each species. Results A total of 2132 Anopheles mosquitoes were collected. 571 (26.8%) were males and 1561 (73.2%) were females classified based on their abdominal status into 1048 (67.1%) gravid, 274 (17.6%) fed, and 239 (15.3%) unfed females. Among the blood fed Anopheles mosquitoes, 263 (96.0%) were morphologically identified and confirmed using PCR to Anopheles arabiensis, 9 (3.3%) to Anopheles stephensi, and 2 (0.7%) to Anopheles rufipes. Of 274 blood-fed An. arabiensis, 68 (25.9%) fed on mixed blood meals from human and cattle, 8 (3.0%) fed on cattle and goat, and 13 (4.8%) fed on human, cattle and goat. For single blood meal sources, 70 (26.6%) fed on human, 95 (36.1%) fed on cattle, 8 (3.0%) fed on goat, and 1 (0.4%) fed on dog. While An. rufipes and An. stephensi fed on dog (2; 0.75%) and cattle (9; 3.3%), respectively. Plasmodium parasite detection in the blood meals showed that 25/274 (9.1%) An. arabiensis meals were positive for Plasmodium vivax and 19/274 (6.9%) An. arabiensis meals were positive for Plasmodium falciparum. The rate of positivity of An. arabiensis with any Plasmodium species was 16.7%. However, the positivity rate with P. falciparum only was 7.2%, while P. vivax was 9.5%. Both An. rufipes and An. stephensi were having positivity rates of 0.0% each. Conclusions This study which was mainly on blood-fed Anopheles mosquitoes showed a diversity in the type of diet from human, cattle, and goat. Anopheles mosquitoes especially An. arabiensis in Sudan, are opportunistic blood feeders and can feed broadly on both human and cattle. The application of blood meal identification is not only important in malaria vector epidemiological surveillance but also is very useful in areas where arthropods exhibit zoophilic feeding behaviour for mammals.

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“…However, this model has certain limitations. Firstly, Pk infection in rhesus macaques typically results in acute, severe, and potentially fatal, blood stage disease [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21], necessitating rapid diagnosis and treatment of infected animals in order to comply with modern animal ethics guidelines [22]. Second, while rhesus macaques are highly susceptible to experimental Pk infection, they are not natural hosts for this parasite [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasmodium knowlesi in pig-tailed macaques: a new model for malaria vaccine research

Shears,

Reynolds,

Duncombe

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Plasmodium knowlesi (Pk) is an established experimental model for basic and pre-clinical malaria vaccine research. Historically, rhesus macaques have been the most common host for malaria vaccine studies with Pk parasites. However, rhesus are not natural hosts for Pk, and there is interest in identifying alternative hosts for vaccine research. The study team previously reported that pig-tailed macaques (PTM), a natural host for Pk, could be challenged with cryopreserved Pk sporozoites (PkSPZ), with time to blood stage infection equivalent to in rhesus. Here, additional exploratory studies were performed to evaluate PTM as potential hosts for malaria vaccine studies. The aim was to further characterize the parasitological and veterinary health outcomes after PkSPZ challenge in this macaque species. Methods Malaria-naïve PTM were intravenously challenged with 2.5x103 PkSPZ and monitored for blood stage infection by Plasmodium 18S rRNA RT-PCR and thin blood smears. Disease signs were evaluated by daily observations, complete blood counts, serum chemistry tests, and veterinary examinations. After anti-malarial drug treatment, a subset of animals was re-challenged and monitored as above. Whole blood gene expression analysis was performed on selected animals to assess host response to infection. Results In naïve animals, the kinetics of Pk blood stage replication was reproducible, with parasite burden rising linearly during an initial acute phase of infection from 6–11 days post-challenge, before plateauing and transitioning into a chronic low-grade infection. After re-challenge, infections were again reproducible, but with lower blood stage parasite densities. Clinical signs of disease were absent or mild and anti-malarial treatment was not needed until the pre-defined study day. Whole blood gene expression analysis identified immunological changes associated with acute and chronic phases of infection, and further differences between initial challenge versus re-challenge. Conclusions The ability to challenge PTM with PkSPZ and achieve reliable blood stage infections indicate this model has significant potential for malaria vaccine studies. Blood stage Pk infection in PTM is characterized by low parasite burdens and a benign disease course, in contrast with the virulent Pk disease course commonly reported in rhesus macaques. These findings identify new opportunities for malaria vaccine research using this natural host-parasite combination.

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Transmission of Plasmodium knowlesi by Anopheles stephensi

Cited by 21 publications

References 6 publications

Plasmodium knowlesi: A Malaria Parasite of Monkeys and Humans

Plasmodium knowlesi: A Malaria Parasite of Monkeys and Humans

Blood meal profile and positivity rate with malaria parasites among different malaria vectors in Sudan

Plasmodium knowlesi in pig-tailed macaques: a new model for malaria vaccine research

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