Background: Some Plasmodium species have the ability to modify the behaviour of their mosquito vectors. This is thought to be an adaptive strategy that maximizes the parasite's transmission.
Methods: The effect of Plasmodium relictum infections on the blood feeding behaviour of Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus mosquitoes was monitored.
Results: Plasmodium infections did not alter the proportion of blood fed mosquitoes but they did affect the dynamics and the size of the blood meal. Sporozoite-infected mosquitoes completed their blood meal 1.3 times later than uninfected mosquitoes and ended up with smaller blood meals.
Conclusion: The potential adaptive nature of this manipulation of mosquito behaviour is discussed in the light of previous studies on other malaria models.
Keywords: Blood feeding; Culex pipiens; Malaria; Plasmodium relictum; Vector behaviour.