Anopheles moucheti and Anopheles vinckei are candidate vectors of ape Plasmodium parasites, including Plasmodium praefalciparum in Gabon

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 8; no. 2; p. e57294
• Main Authors: Paupy, Christophe, Makanga, Boris, Ollomo, Benjamin, Rahola, Nil, Durand, Patrick, Magnus, Julie, Willaume, Eric, Renaud, François, Fontenille, Didier, Prugnolle, Franck
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 20.02.2013; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animal biology; Animal Diseases; Animal populations; Animals; Anopheles; Anopheles - parasitology; Anopheles nili; Anophelinae; Apes; Aquatic insects; Biodiversity; Biology; Chimpanzees; Culicidae; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Disease transmission; DNA; DNA, Mitochondrial - classification; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; DNA, Mitochondrial - isolation & purification; DNA, Protozoan - classification; DNA, Protozoan - genetics; DNA, Protozoan - isolation & purification; Ecology, environment; Erythrocytes; Evolution (Biology); Expression vectors; Female; Females; Gabon - epidemiology; Genetic testing; Gorilla gorilla - parasitology; Humans; Insect Vectors - parasitology; Life Sciences; Malaria; Malaria - epidemiology; Malaria - parasitology; Malaria - transmission; Malaria - veterinary; Malaria, Falciparum - epidemiology; Malaria, Falciparum - parasitology; Malaria, Falciparum - transmission; Medical research; Medicine; Microbiology and Parasitology; Mitochondrial DNA; Monkeys & apes; Mosquitoes; National parks; New species; Pan troglodytes - parasitology; Parasites; Parasitology; Phylogeny; Physical characteristics; Plasmodium; Plasmodium - classification; Plasmodium - genetics; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium falciparum - classification; Plasmodium falciparum - genetics; Plasmodium vivax; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Ribosomal DNA; River networks; Species diversity; Symbiosis; Systematics, Phylogenetics and taxonomy; Vector-borne diseases; Veterinary medicine and animal Health; Gabon; France
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057294

During the last four years, knowledge about the diversity of Plasmodium species in African great apes has considerably increased. Several new species were described in chimpanzees and gorillas, and some species that were previously considered as strictly of human interest were found to be infecting African apes. The description in gorillas of P. praefalciparum, the closest relative of P. falciparum which is the main malignant agent of human malaria, definitively changed the way we understand the evolution and origin of P. falciparum. This parasite is now considered to have appeared recently, following a cross-species transfer from gorillas to humans. However, the Plasmodium vector mosquito species that have served as bridge between these two host species remain unknown. In order to identify the vectors that ensure ape Plasmodium transmission and evaluate the risk of transfer of these parasites to humans, we carried out a field study in Gabon to capture Anopheles in areas where wild and semi-wild ape populations live. We collected 1070 Anopheles females belonging to 15 species, among which An. carnevalei, An. moucheti and An. marshallii were the most common species. Using mtDNA-based PCR tools, we discovered that An. moucheti, a major human malaria vector in Central Africa, could also ensure the natural transmission of P. praefalciparum among great apes. We also showed that, together with An. vinckei, An. moucheti was infected with P. vivax-like parasites. An. moucheti constitutes, therefore, a major candidate for the transfer of Plasmodium parasites from apes to humans.