Search

The sporogonic development of the malaria parasite takes place in the mosquito and a wide range of factors modulates it. Among those, the contents of the blood meal can influence the parasite development directly or indirectly through the mosquito response to the infection. We have studied the effect of a second blood meal in previously infected mosquitoes and the effect of anti-sporozoite immune serum on parasite development and mosquito response to the infection. The prevalence and intensity of infection and gene expression of both Plasmodium yoelii and Anopheles stephensi was analyzed. We verified that a second blood meal and its immune status interfere with parasite development and with Plasmodium and mosquito gene expression.

Irradiated sporozoites are generally thought to elicit protective immune responses that are parasite stage and species specific. But immunization with Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites delivered by the bite of infected mosquitoes protects an average of 60% mice from Plasmodium berghei sporozoite infection. Protection appears to be specific as P. falciparum sporozoite-immunized mice protected against P. berghei remain susceptible to Plasmodium yoelii sporozoite infection. Passively transferred immunoglobulin from P. falciparum sporozoite-immunized mouse serum protected naive mice against challenge with P. berghei sporozoites, indicating that cross-protection is mediated, at least in part, by anti-sporozoite antibody. Antibody-mediated protection may not be due to cross-reaction between P. falciparum and P. berghei CS proteins because mice immunized with the recombinant P. falciparum CS protein repeat vaccine candidate, R32tet32, remain susceptible to P. berghei sporozoite infection.