Case Report: Plasmodium vivax Sporozoite Melanization in the Midgut and Salivary Gland of the Malaria Vector Anopheles darlingi

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2024 Feb 13;110(3):444-447. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0349. Print 2024 Mar 6.

Abstract

Anopheles darlingi is the primary malaria vector in the Amazon region and is highly susceptible to both Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Although anopheline mosquitoes may develop melanotic encapsulation in response to Plasmodium parasites, there is no record of An. darlingi exhibiting a melanization response to P. vivax, the main malaria parasite in the Americas. Here, we report the occurrence of P. vivax sporozoite melanization in An. darlingi mosquitoes.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anopheles* / parasitology
  • Humans
  • Malaria*
  • Malaria, Vivax*
  • Mosquito Vectors / parasitology
  • Plasmodium vivax
  • Salivary Glands
  • Sporozoites