Genetic clonality of Plasmodium falciparum affects the outcome of infection in Anopheles gambiae

• Published in: International journal for parasitology Vol. 42; no. 6; pp. 589 - 595
• Main Authors: Nsango, Sandrine E., Abate, Luc, Thoma, Martine, Pompon, Julien, Fraiture, Malou, Rademacher, Annika, Berry, Antoine, Awono-Ambene, Parfait H., Levashina, Elena A., Morlais, Isabelle
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 15.05.2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Anopheles - immunology; Anopheles - parasitology; Anopheles gambiae; Biological and medical sciences; COI; Complement; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic Variation; Genetics; Human protozoal diseases; Immunity; Infectious diseases; Life cycle. Host-agent relationship. Pathogenesis; Life Sciences; Malaria; Medical sciences; Mosquito; Parasitic diseases; Plasmodium; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium falciparum - classification; Plasmodium falciparum - genetics; Plasmodium falciparum - growth & development; Plasmodium falciparum - immunology; Protozoa; Protozoal diseases; Vector biology; Plasmodium; Malaria; Mosquito; Complement; Vector biology; COI; Immunity; Protozoa; Apicomplexa; Protozoal disease; Insecta; Parasite; Parasitosis; Infection; Plasmodium falciparum; Anopheles gambiae; Arthropoda; Culicidae; Genetics; Ectoparasite; Invertebrata; Vector; Diptera
• ISSN: 0020-7519; 1879-0135
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2012.03.008

[Display omitted] ► Monoclonal Plasmodium infections produce higher infection loads in the mosquito. ► Monoclonal infections are efficiently controlled by the mosquito immune system. ► Mixed infections are resistant to the mosquito immune responses induced by wounding and mediated by TEP1. Mosquito infections with natural isolates of Plasmodium falciparum are notoriously variable and pose a problem for reliable evaluation of efficiency of transmission-blocking agents for malaria control interventions. Here, we show that monoclonal P. falciparum isolates produce higher parasite loads than mixed ones. Induction of the mosquito immune responses by wounding efficiently decreases Plasmodium numbers in monoclonal infections but fails to do so in infections with two or more parasite genotypes. Our results point to the parasites genetic complexity as a potentially crucial component of mosquito–parasite interactions.