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Suh E, Stopard IJ, Lambert B, Waite JL, Dennington NL, Churcher TS, Thomas MB. Estimating the effects of temperature on transmission of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3230. [PMID: 38649361 PMCID: PMC11035611 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47265-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite concern that climate change could increase the human risk to malaria in certain areas, the temperature dependency of malaria transmission is poorly characterized. Here, we use a mechanistic model fitted to experimental data to describe how Plasmodium falciparum infection of the African malaria vector, Anopheles gambiae, is modulated by temperature, including its influences on parasite establishment, conversion efficiency through parasite developmental stages, parasite development rate, and overall vector competence. We use these data, together with estimates of the survival of infected blood-fed mosquitoes, to explore the theoretical influence of temperature on transmission in four locations in Kenya, considering recent conditions and future climate change. Results provide insights into factors limiting transmission in cooler environments and indicate that increases in malaria transmission due to climate warming in areas like the Kenyan Highlands, might be less than previously predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunho Suh
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Isaac J Stopard
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ben Lambert
- Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jessica L Waite
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Research Development, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Nina L Dennington
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Thomas S Churcher
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew B Thomas
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK
- Invasion Science Research Institute and Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
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2
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Sollelis L, Howick VM, Marti M. Revisiting the determinants of malaria transmission. Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:302-312. [PMID: 38443304 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Malaria parasites have coevolved with humans over thousands of years, mirroring their migration out of Africa. They persist to this day, despite continuous elimination efforts worldwide. These parasites can adapt to changing environments during infection of human and mosquito, and when expanding the geographical range by switching vector species. Recent studies in the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, identified determinants governing the plasticity of sexual conversion rates, sex ratio, and vector competence. Here we summarize the latest literature revealing environmental, epigenetic, and genetic determinants of malaria transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauriane Sollelis
- Wellcome Center for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection and Immunity University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Virginia M Howick
- Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Matthias Marti
- Wellcome Center for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection and Immunity University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Institute of Parasitology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
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3
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Johnson RM, Stopard IJ, Byrne HM, Armstrong PM, Brackney DE, Lambert B. Investigating the dose-dependency of the midgut escape barrier using a mechanistic model of within-mosquito dengue virus population dynamics. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1011975. [PMID: 38557892 PMCID: PMC11008821 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Arboviruses can emerge rapidly and cause explosive epidemics of severe disease. Some of the most epidemiologically important arboviruses, including dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), Chikungunya (CHIKV) and yellow fever virus (YFV), are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, most notably Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. After a mosquito blood feeds on an infected host, virus enters the midgut and infects the midgut epithelium. The virus must then overcome a series of barriers before reaching the mosquito saliva and being transmitted to a new host. The virus must escape from the midgut (known as the midgut escape barrier; MEB), which is thought to be mediated by transient changes in the permeability of the midgut-surrounding basal lamina layer (BL) following blood feeding. Here, we present a mathematical model of the within-mosquito population dynamics of DENV (as a model system for mosquito-borne viruses more generally) that includes the interaction of the midgut and BL which can account for the MEB. Our results indicate a dose-dependency of midgut establishment of infection as well as rate of escape from the midgut: collectively, these suggest that the extrinsic incubation period (EIP)-the time taken for DENV virus to be transmissible after infection-is shortened when mosquitoes imbibe more virus. Additionally, our experimental data indicate that multiple blood feeding events, which more closely mimic mosquito-feeding behavior in the wild, can hasten the course of infections, and our model predicts that this effect is sensitive to the amount of virus imbibed. Our model indicates that mutations to the virus which impact its replication rate in the midgut could lead to even shorter EIPs when double-feeding occurs. Mechanistic models of within-vector viral infection dynamics provide a quantitative understanding of infection dynamics and could be used to evaluate novel interventions that target the mosquito stages of the infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M. Johnson
- Center for Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Isaac J. Stopard
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen M. Byrne
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Philip M. Armstrong
- Center for Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Douglas E. Brackney
- Center for Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Entomology, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Ben Lambert
- Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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4
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Andolina C, Graumans W, Guelbeogo M, van Gemert GJ, Ramijth J, Harouna S, Soumanaba Z, Stoter R, Vegte-Bolmer M, Pangos M, Sinnis P, Collins K, Staedke SG, Tiono AB, Drakeley C, Lanke K, Bousema T. Quantification of sporozoite expelling by Anopheles mosquitoes infected with laboratory and naturally circulating P. falciparum gametocytes. eLife 2024; 12:RP90989. [PMID: 38517746 PMCID: PMC10959522 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
It is currently unknown whether all Plasmodium falciparum-infected mosquitoes are equally infectious. We assessed sporogonic development using cultured gametocytes in the Netherlands and naturally circulating strains in Burkina Faso. We quantified the number of sporozoites expelled into artificial skin in relation to intact oocysts, ruptured oocysts, and residual salivary gland sporozoites. In laboratory conditions, higher total sporozoite burden was associated with shorter duration of sporogony (p<0.001). Overall, 53% (116/216) of infected Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes expelled sporozoites into artificial skin with a median of 136 expelled sporozoites (interquartile range [IQR], 34-501). There was a strong positive correlation between ruptured oocyst number and salivary gland sporozoite load (ρ = 0.8; p<0.0001) and a weaker positive correlation between salivary gland sporozoite load and number of sporozoites expelled (ρ = 0.35; p=0.0002). In Burkina Faso, Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes were infected by natural gametocyte carriers. Among salivary gland sporozoite positive mosquitoes, 89% (33/37) expelled sporozoites with a median of 1035 expelled sporozoites (IQR, 171-2969). Again, we observed a strong correlation between ruptured oocyst number and salivary gland sporozoite load (ρ = 0.9; p<0.0001) and a positive correlation between salivary gland sporozoite load and the number of sporozoites expelled (ρ = 0.7; p<0.0001). Several mosquitoes expelled multiple parasite clones during probing. Whilst sporozoite expelling was regularly observed from mosquitoes with low infection burdens, our findings indicate that mosquito infection burden is positively associated with the number of expelled sporozoites. Future work is required to determine the direct implications of these findings for transmission potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Andolina
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Wouter Graumans
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Moussa Guelbeogo
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Geert-Jan van Gemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Jordache Ramijth
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Soré Harouna
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Zongo Soumanaba
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Rianne Stoter
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Marga Vegte-Bolmer
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Martina Pangos
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria GiulianoIsontina TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns HopkinsBloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Katharine Collins
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Sarah G Staedke
- Liverpool School of Tropical MedicineLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
| | - Alfred B Tiono
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Chris Drakeley
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Kjerstin Lanke
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Teun Bousema
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
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Tenywa FC, Musa JJ, Musiba RM, Swai JK, Mpelepele AB, Okumu FO, Maia MF. Sugar and blood: the nutritional priorities of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:26. [PMID: 38246994 PMCID: PMC10800037 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06093-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sugar-feeding behaviour is essential for mosquito survival and reproduction, and has been exploited to develop new control strategies, such as the attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSB). This study examined the sugar-feeding habits of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, in semi-field conditions to determine the optimal timing (age) of sugar meals and whether the availability of sugar sources could affect blood-feeding by these mosquitoes. METHODS A series of paired-choice assays were conducted in which mosquitoes were allowed to choose between a sugar meal or a blood meal directly from a rabbit. Female 1-day-old mosquitoes were given meal choices in cages I-V and observed for feeding choice in only one cage every day for 5 days starting with cages I to V. The preference of Ae. aegypti to feed on sugar or blood and the effect of sugar source availability on blood-feeding was assessed at different chronological and physiological ages. RESULTS In the first 5 days post-emergence, there was no significant difference in mosquito preference for sugar or blood meals. However, after the first gonotrophic cycle, they had a greater preference for blood over sugar (odds ratio, OR [95% confidence interval, CI] = 9.4 [6.7-13.0]; P < 0.001). Nulliparous Ae. aegypti females (≤ 5-day-old mosquitoes) were less likely to blood-feed if both sugar and blood sources were concurrently available (OR = 0.06 [0.02-0.16]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Newly emerged females of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were equally likely to choose a sugar meal or a blood meal. However, after the first gonotrophic cycle, they had a greater preference for blood over sugar. Additionally, nulliparous female mosquitoes were less likely to blood-feed when both sugar and blood sources were available. These findings provide insights into the sugar-feeding behaviour of Ae. aegypti and can inform the development and optimization of new control strategies such as using ATSB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Chelestino Tenywa
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Thematic Group, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania.
| | - Jeremiah John Musa
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Thematic Group, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
- The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology: School of Life Science and Bio-Engineering, P.O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Revocatus Musyangi Musiba
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Thematic Group, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 1.485 Stopford Building, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Johnson Kyeba Swai
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Thematic Group, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Ahmad Bakar Mpelepele
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Thematic Group, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
| | - Fredros Oketch Okumu
- Environmental Health and Ecological Sciences Thematic Group, Ifakara Health Institute, P.O. Box 74, Bagamoyo, Tanzania
- The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology: School of Life Science and Bio-Engineering, P.O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania
- Faculty of Health Science, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Marta Ferreira Maia
- KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research -Coast, PO Box, Kilifi, 230-80108, Kenya
- Centre for Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
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6
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Chuang YM, Stone H, Abouneameh S, Tang X, Fikrig E. Signaling between mammalian adiponectin and a mosquito adiponectin receptor reduces Plasmodium transmission. mBio 2024; 15:e0225723. [PMID: 38078744 PMCID: PMC10790699 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02257-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE When a female mosquito takes a blood meal from a mammalian host, components of the blood meal can affect mosquito fitness and indirectly influence pathogen infectivity. We identified a pathway involving an Anopheles gambiae adiponectin receptor, which, triggered by adiponectin from an incoming blood meal, decreases Plasmodium infection in the mosquito. Activation of this pathway negatively regulates lipophorin expression, an important lipid transporter that both enhances egg development and Plasmodium infection. This is an unrecognized cross-phyla interaction between a mosquito and its vertebrate host. These processes are critical to understanding the complex life cycle of mosquitoes and Plasmodium following a blood meal and may be applicable to other hematophagous arthropods and vector-borne infectious agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Min Chuang
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Helen Stone
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Selma Abouneameh
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Xiaotian Tang
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Erol Fikrig
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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7
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Somé BM, Guissou E, Da DF, Richard Q, Choisy M, Yameogo KB, Hien DF, Yerbanga RS, Ouedraogo GA, Dabiré KR, Djidjou-Demasse R, Cohuet A, Lefèvre T. Mosquito ageing modulates the development, virulence and transmission potential of pathogens. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232097. [PMID: 38166422 PMCID: PMC10762442 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Host age variation is a striking source of heterogeneity that can shape the evolution and transmission dynamic of pathogens. Compared with vertebrate systems, our understanding of the impact of host age on invertebrate-pathogen interactions remains limited. We examined the influence of mosquito age on key life-history traits driving human malaria transmission. Females of Anopheles coluzzii, a major malaria vector, belonging to three age classes (4-, 8- and 12-day-old), were experimentally infected with Plasmodium falciparum field isolates. Our findings revealed reduced competence in 12-day-old mosquitoes, characterized by lower oocyst/sporozoite rates and intensities compared with younger mosquitoes. Despite shorter median longevities in older age classes, infected 12-day-old mosquitoes exhibited improved survival, suggesting that the infection might act as a fountain of youth for older mosquitoes specifically. The timing of sporozoite appearance in the salivary glands remained consistent across mosquito age classes, with an extrinsic incubation period of approximately 13 days. Integrating these results into an epidemiological model revealed a lower vectorial capacity for older mosquitoes compared with younger ones, albeit still substantial owing to extended longevity in the presence of infection. Considering age heterogeneity provides valuable insights for ecological and epidemiological studies, informing targeted control strategies to mitigate pathogen transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard M. Somé
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Département de Biochimie, Université Nazi Boni, 01 BP 1091 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Edwige Guissou
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Département de Biochimie, Université Nazi Boni, 01 BP 1091 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier cedex 5, France
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, BP 376 Koudougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Dari F. Da
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Quentin Richard
- IMAG, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, 34090 Montpellier, France
| | - Marc Choisy
- Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, 700000, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Koudraogo B. Yameogo
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Domombabele FdS. Hien
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Rakiswende S. Yerbanga
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Georges A. Ouedraogo
- Département de Biochimie, Université Nazi Boni, 01 BP 1091 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Kounbobr R. Dabiré
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Anna Cohuet
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier cedex 5, France
| | - Thierry Lefèvre
- Unité Paludisme et Maladies Tropicales Négligées, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé (IRSS), 01 BP 545 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Laboratoire Mixte International sur les Vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier cedex 5, France
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8
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Werling K, Itoe MA, Shaw WR, Hien RD, Bazié BJ, Aminata F, Adams KL, Ouattara BS, Sanou M, Peng D, Dabiré RK, Da DF, Yerbanga RS, Diabaté A, Lefèvre T, Catteruccia F. Development of circulating isolates of Plasmodium falciparum is accelerated in Anopheles vectors with reduced reproductive output. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011890. [PMID: 38206958 PMCID: PMC10807765 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Anopheles gambiae and its sibling species Anopheles coluzzii are the most efficient vectors of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. When females of these species feed on an infected human host, oogenesis and parasite development proceed concurrently, but interactions between these processes are not fully understood. Using multiple natural P. falciparum isolates from Burkina Faso, we show that in both vectors, impairing steroid hormone signaling to disrupt oogenesis leads to accelerated oocyst growth and in a manner that appears to depend on both parasite and mosquito genotype. Consistently, we find that egg numbers are negatively linked to oocyst size, a metric for the rate of oocyst development. Oocyst growth rates are also strongly accelerated in females that are in a pre-gravid state, i.e. that fail to develop eggs after an initial blood meal. Overall, these findings advance our understanding of mosquito-parasite interactions that influence P. falciparum development in malaria-endemic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Werling
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Maurice A. Itoe
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - W. Robert Shaw
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States of America
| | | | - Bali Jean Bazié
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Fofana Aminata
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Kelsey L. Adams
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | | | - Mathias Sanou
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Duo Peng
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Roch K. Dabiré
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Dari F. Da
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Abdoulaye Diabaté
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Thierry Lefèvre
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States of America
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9
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Carrillo-Bustamante P, Costa G, Lampe L, Levashina EA. Evolutionary modelling indicates that mosquito metabolism shapes the life-history strategies of Plasmodium parasites. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8139. [PMID: 38097582 PMCID: PMC10721866 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43810-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Within-host survival and between-host transmission are key life-history traits of single-celled malaria parasites. Understanding the evolutionary forces that shape these traits is crucial to predict malaria epidemiology, drug resistance, and virulence. However, very little is known about how Plasmodium parasites adapt to their mosquito vectors. Here, we examine the evolution of the time Plasmodium parasites require to develop within the vector (extrinsic incubation period) with an individual-based model of malaria transmission that includes mosquito metabolism. Specifically, we model the metabolic cascade of resource allocation induced by blood-feeding, as well as the influence of multiple blood meals on parasite development. Our model predicts that successful vector-to-human transmission events are rare, and are caused by long-lived mosquitoes. Importantly, our results show that the life-history strategies of malaria parasites depend on the mosquito's metabolic status. In our model, additional resources provided by multiple blood meals lead to selection for parasites with slow or intermediate developmental time. These results challenge the current assumption that evolution favors fast developing parasites to maximize their chances to complete their within-mosquito life cycle. We propose that the long sporogonic cycle observed for Plasmodium is not a constraint but rather an adaptation to increase transmission potential.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulia Costa
- Vector Biology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lena Lampe
- Vector Biology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Physiology and Metabolism Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, NW11AT, London, UK
| | - Elena A Levashina
- Vector Biology Unit, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
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10
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Oke CE, Reece SE, Schneider P. Testing a non-destructive assay to track Plasmodium sporozoites in mosquitoes over time. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:401. [PMID: 37925480 PMCID: PMC10625196 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06015-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The extrinsic incubation period (EIP), defined as the time it takes for malaria parasites in a mosquito to become infectious to a vertebrate host, is one of the most influential parameters for malaria transmission but remains poorly understood. The EIP is usually estimated by quantifying salivary gland sporozoites in subsets of mosquitoes, which requires terminal sampling. However, assays that allow repeated sampling of individual mosquitoes over time could provide better resolution of the EIP. METHODS We tested a non-destructive assay to quantify sporozoites of two rodent malaria species, Plasmodium chabaudi and Plasmodium berghei, expelled throughout 24-h windows, from sugar-soaked feeding substrates using quantitative-PCR. RESULTS The assay is able to quantify sporozoites from sugar-soaked feeding substrates, but the prevalence of parasite-positive substrates was low. Various methods were attempted to increase the detection of expelled parasites (e.g. running additional technical replicates; using groups rather than individual mosquitoes), but these did not increase the detection rate, suggesting that expulsion of sporozoites is variable and infrequent. CONCLUSIONS We reveal successful detection of expelled sporozoites from sugar-soaked feeding substrates. However, investigations of the biological causes underlying the low detection rate of sporozoites (e.g. mosquito feeding behaviour, frequency of sporozoite expulsion or sporozoite clumping) are needed to maximise the utility of using non-destructive assays to quantify sporozoite dynamics. Increasing detection rates will facilitate the detailed investigation on infection dynamics within mosquitoes, which is necessary to explain the highly variable EIP of Plasmodium and to improve understanding of malaria transmission dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Oke
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Sarah E Reece
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Petra Schneider
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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11
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Brozat JF, Haverkamp M, Hohlstein P, Adams JK, Wirtz TH, Klingel HR, Hürtgen S, Hamesch K, Bruns T, Trautwein C, Jhaisha SA, Koch A. An old foe on peculiar paths: severe falciparum malaria in a Syrian refugee, possibly infected during migrant smuggling from Türkiye to Germany. Infection 2023; 51:1583-1586. [PMID: 37223876 PMCID: PMC10206553 DOI: 10.1007/s15010-023-02042-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases and their imperative awareness gain major relevance through global warming and multi-continent refugee crises. Here, we demonstrate the challenges of malaria diagnosis, disease course, and treatment, including post-artesunate hemolysis in a Syrian refugee with severe falciparum malaria, most probably infected during migrant smuggling from Türkiye to Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan F Brozat
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Miriam Haverkamp
- Department of Infection Control and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Philipp Hohlstein
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jule K Adams
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Theresa H Wirtz
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Hanna R Klingel
- Laboratory Diagnostic Center, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Susanne Hürtgen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Rhein-Maas Hospital, Würselen, Germany
| | - Karim Hamesch
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Tony Bruns
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Trautwein
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Samira Abu Jhaisha
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander Koch
- Department for Gastroenterology, Metabolic Disorders and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
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12
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Johnson RM, Stopard IJ, Byrne HM, Armstrong PM, Brackney DE, Lambert B. Investigating the dose-dependency of the midgut escape barrier using a mechanistic model of within-mosquito dengue virus population dynamics. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.28.559904. [PMID: 37808804 PMCID: PMC10557669 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.28.559904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Flaviviruses are arthropod-borne (arbo)viruses which can emerge rapidly and cause explosive epidemics of severe disease. Some of the most epidemiologically important flaviviruses, including dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and yellow fever virus (YFV), are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, most notably Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. After a mosquito blood feeds on an infected host, virus enters the midgut and infects the midgut epithelium. The virus must then overcome a series of barriers before reaching the mosquito saliva and being transmitted to a new host. The virus must escape from the midgut (known as the midgut escape barrier; MEB), which is thought to be mediated by transient changes in the permeability of the midgut-surrounding basal lamina layer (BL) following blood feeding. Here, we present a mathematical model of the within-mosquito population dynamics of flaviviruses that includes the interaction of the midgut and BL which can account for the MEB. Our results indicate a dose-dependency of midgut establishment of infection as well as rate of escape from the midgut: collectively, these suggest that the extrinsic incubation period (EIP) - the time taken for DENV virus to be transmissible after infection - is shortened when mosquitoes imbibe more virus. Additionally, our experimental data indicates that multiple blood feeding events, which more closely mimic mosquito-feeding behavior in the wild, can hasten the course of infections, and our model predicts that this effect is sensitive to the amount of virus imbibed. Our model indicates that mutations to the virus which impact its replication rate in the midgut could lead to even shorter EIPs when double-feeding occurs. Mechanistic models of within-vector viral infection dynamics provide a quantitative understanding of infection dynamics and could be used to evaluate novel interventions that target the mosquito stages of the infection. Author summary Aedes mosquitoes are the main vectors of dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV) and yellow fever virus (YFV), all of which can cause severe disease in humans with dengue alone infecting an estimated 100-400 million people each year. Understanding the processes that affect whether, and at which rate, mosquitoes may transmit such viruses is, hence, paramount. Here, we present a mathematical model of virus dynamics within infected mosquitoes. By combining the model with novel experimental data, we show that the course of infection is sensitive to the initial dose of virus ingested by the mosquito. The data also indicates that mosquitoes which blood feed subsequent to becoming infected may be able to transmit infection earlier, which is reproduced in the model. This is important as many mosquito species feed multiple times during their lifespan and, any reduction in time to dissemination will increase the number of days that a mosquito is infectious and so enhance the risk of transmission. Our study highlights the key and complementary roles played by mathematical models and experimental data for understanding within-mosquito virus dynamics.
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13
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Saeed S, Tremp AZ, Dessens JT. Plasmodium berghei oocysts possess fatty acid synthesis and scavenging routes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12700. [PMID: 37543672 PMCID: PMC10404217 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39708-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria parasites carry out fatty acid synthesis (FAS) in their apicoplast organelle via a bacterially related (type II) enzymatic pathway. In the vertebrate host, exoerythrocytic Plasmodium stages rely on FAS, whereas intraerythrocytic stages depend on scavenging FA from their environment. In the mosquito, P. falciparum oocysts express and rely on FAS enzymes for sporozoite formation, but P. yoelii oocysts do not express, nor depend on, FAS enzymes and thus rely on FA scavenging to support sporogony. In P. berghei, FAS enzymes are similarly expendable for sporogony, indicating it conforms to the P. yoelii scenario. We show here that P. berghei, unexpectedly, expresses FAS enzymes throughout oocyst development. These findings indicate that P. berghei can employ FAS alongside FA scavenging to maximise sporogony and transmission, and is more similar to P. falciparum than previously assumed with respect to FA acquisition by the oocyst. The ability of oocysts to switch between FAS and scavenging could be an important factor in the non-competitive relationship of resource exploitation between Plasmodium parasites and their mosquito vectors, which shapes parasite virulence both in the insect and vertebrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadia Saeed
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Annie Z Tremp
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Johannes T Dessens
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
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14
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Matsufuji T, Seirin-Lee S. The optimal strategy of incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia and the application to malaria control. J Theor Biol 2023; 569:111519. [PMID: 37254297 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
For decades, techniques to control vector population with low environmental impact have been widely explored in both field and theoretical studies. The incompatible insect technique (IIT) using Wolbachia, based on cytoplasmic incompatibility, is a technique that Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes are incapable of producing viable offspring after mating with wild-type female mosquitoes. While the IIT method experimentally ensured its effectiveness in several field works, the failure of female mosquito population control by replacement owing to the accidental contamination of Wolbachia-infected female mosquitoes has been a concern and an obstacle in implementing the IIT method in nature. In this study, we develop a population-based IIT mathematical model using cytoplasmic incompatibility and evaluate the effectiveness of the IIT method in scenarios where contamination is present or absent. In addition, by extending the model to assess the disease infection status of the human population with malaria, we evaluate the optimal release strategy and cost for successful disease control. Our study proves that IIT could be a promising method to control mosquito-borne diseases without perfect suppression of vector mosquito population regardless of contamination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiga Matsufuji
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, Higashi-hiroshima 739-8530, Japan
| | - Sungrim Seirin-Lee
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology(ASHBi), Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8315, Japan; Department of Mathematical Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8315, Japan; JST CREST, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
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15
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Barreaux P, Ranson H, Foster GM, McCall PJ. Pyrethroid-treated bed nets impair blood feeding performance in insecticide resistant mosquitoes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10055. [PMID: 37344580 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35958-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The blood feeding performance of female mosquitoes directly impacts their ability to transmit malaria. Yet their host seeking and blood feeding behaviours in the presence of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are still poorly understood. This work explores how both insecticide resistant and susceptible Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquitoes interact with pyrethroid nets (PermaNet 2.0 or Olyset net) or an untreated net (UTN) while attempting to blood feed on a human arm. Regardless of mosquito resistance status, the ITNs did not efficiently prevent host searching but reduced blood feeding success by 34.1 (29.31-38.95) %. The Permanet and Olyset net reduced to 227.5 (208.19-246.77) sec and 235.9 (214.03-257.74) sec the average blood feeding duration from 369.9 (342.78-397.04) sec with the UTN. The ingested blood volume was on average 22% lower for all mosquitoes exposed to insecticide. When feeding through ITNs, the blood volume flow rate of the susceptible strain increased by 35%, but no significant difference was found in the resistant strain. Thus, whilst the presence of the insecticide in ITNs reduced mosquito blood feeding success and blood volume, the mosquito's ability to respond by accelerating her rate of blood ingestion may further reduce the impact of ITNs on resistant mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscille Barreaux
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
| | - Hilary Ranson
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Geraldine M Foster
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Philip J McCall
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
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16
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Adipokinetic hormone signaling in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae facilitates Plasmodium falciparum sporogony. Commun Biol 2023; 6:171. [PMID: 36782045 PMCID: PMC9924834 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04518-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
An obligatory step in the complex life cycle of the malaria parasite is sporogony, which occurs during the oocyst stage in adult female Anopheles mosquitoes. Sporogony is metabolically demanding, and successful oocyst maturation is dependent on host lipids. In insects, lipid energy reserves are mobilized by adipokinetic hormones (AKHs). We hypothesized that Plasmodium falciparum infection activates Anopheles gambiae AKH signaling and lipid mobilization. We profiled the expression patterns of AKH pathway genes and AgAkh1 peptide levels in An. gambiae during starvation, after blood feeding, and following infection and observed a significant time-dependent up-regulation of AKH pathway genes and peptide levels during infection. Depletion of AgAkh1 and AgAkhR by RNAi reduced salivary gland sporozoite production, while synthetic AgAkh1 peptide supplementation rescued sporozoite numbers. Inoculation of uninfected female mosquitoes with supernatant from P. falciparum-infected midguts activated AKH signaling. Clearly, identifying the parasite molecules mediating AKH signaling in P. falciparum sporogony is paramount.
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17
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Kamiya T, Paton DG, Catteruccia F, Reece SE. Targeting malaria parasites inside mosquitoes: ecoevolutionary consequences. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:1031-1040. [PMID: 36209032 PMCID: PMC9815470 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Proof-of-concept studies demonstrate that antimalarial drugs designed for human treatment can also be applied to mosquitoes to interrupt malaria transmission. Deploying a new control tool is ideally undertaken within a stewardship programme that maximises a drug's lifespan by minimising the risk of resistance evolution and slowing its spread once emerged. We ask: what are the epidemiological and evolutionary consequences of targeting parasites within mosquitoes? Our synthesis argues that targeting parasites inside mosquitoes (i) can be modelled by readily expanding existing epidemiological frameworks; (ii) provides a functionally novel control method that has potential to be more robust to resistance evolution than targeting parasites in humans; and (iii) could extend the lifespan and clinical benefit of antimalarials used exclusively to treat humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsukushi Kamiya
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, Paris, France; HRB Clinical Research Facility, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, and Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Douglas G Paton
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sarah E Reece
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, and Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
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18
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Hoermann A, Habtewold T, Selvaraj P, Del Corsano G, Capriotti P, Inghilterra MG, Kebede TM, Christophides GK, Windbichler N. Gene drive mosquitoes can aid malaria elimination by retarding Plasmodium sporogonic development. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo1733. [PMID: 36129981 PMCID: PMC9491717 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo1733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Gene drives hold promise for the genetic control of malaria vectors. The development of vector population modification strategies hinges on the availability of effector mechanisms impeding parasite development in transgenic mosquitoes. We augmented a midgut gene of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae to secrete two exogenous antimicrobial peptides, magainin 2 and melittin. This small genetic modification, capable of efficient nonautonomous gene drive, hampers oocyst development in both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei. It delays the release of infectious sporozoites, while it simultaneously reduces the life span of homozygous female transgenic mosquitoes. Modeling the spread of this modification using a large-scale agent-based model of malaria epidemiology reveals that it can break the cycle of disease transmission across a range of transmission intensities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Hoermann
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Tibebu Habtewold
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Prashanth Selvaraj
- Institute for Disease Modeling, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | | | - Paolo Capriotti
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | | | - Temesgen M. Kebede
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
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19
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Omitting age-dependent mosquito mortality in malaria models underestimates the effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1009540. [PMID: 36121847 PMCID: PMC9522293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mathematical models of vector-borne infections, including malaria, often assume age-independent mortality rates of vectors, despite evidence that many insects senesce. In this study we present survival data on insecticide-resistant Anopheles gambiae s.l. from experiments in Côte d’Ivoire. We fit a constant mortality function and two age-dependent functions (logistic and Gompertz) to the data from mosquitoes exposed (treated) and not exposed (control) to insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), to establish biologically realistic survival functions. This enables us to explore the effects of insecticide exposure on mosquito mortality rates, and the extent to which insecticide resistance might impact the effectiveness of ITNs. We investigate this by calculating the expected number of infectious bites a mosquito will take in its lifetime, and by extension the vectorial capacity. Our results show that the predicted vectorial capacity is substantially lower in mosquitoes exposed to ITNs, despite the mosquitoes in the experiment being highly insecticide-resistant. The more realistic age-dependent functions provide a better fit to the experimental data compared to a constant mortality function and, hence, influence the predicted impact of ITNs on malaria transmission potential. In models with age-independent mortality, there is a great reduction for the vectorial capacity under exposure compared to no exposure. However, the two age-dependent functions predicted an even larger reduction due to exposure, highlighting the impact of incorporating age in the mortality rates. These results further show that multiple exposures to ITNs had a considerable effect on the vectorial capacity. Overall, the study highlights the importance of including age dependency in mathematical models of vector-borne disease transmission and in fully understanding the impact of interventions. Interventions against malaria are most commonly targeted on the adult mosquitoes, which transmit the infection from person to person. One of the most important interventions are bed-nets, treated with insecticides. Unfortunately, extensive exposure of mosquitoes to insecticide has led to widespread evolution of insecticide resistance, which might threaten control strategies. Piecing together the overall impact of resistance on the efficacy of insecticide-treated nets is complex, but can be informed by the use of mathematical models. However, there are some assumptions that the models frequently use which are not realistic in terms of the mosquito biology. In this paper, we formulate a model that includes age-dependent mortality rates, an important parameter in vector control since control strategies most commonly aim to reduce the lifespan of the mosquitoes. By using novel data collected using field-derived insecticide-resistant mosquitoes, we explore the effects that the presence of insecticides on nets have on the mortality rates, as well as the difference incorporating age dependency in the model has on the results. We find that including age-dependent mortality greatly alters the anticipated effects of insecticide-treated nets on mosquito transmission potential, and that ignoring this realism potentially overestimates the negative impact of insecticide resistance.
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20
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Zimmerman RH, Galardo AKR, Lounibos LP, Galardo C, Bahar AK, van Santen E. Vectorial capacities for malaria in eastern Amazonian Brazil depend on village, vector species, season, and parasite species. Malar J 2022; 21:237. [PMID: 35974410 PMCID: PMC9382821 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04255-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The vector species in the Amazon River Basin are regionally and locally diverse, which makes it imperative to understand and compare their roles in malaria transmission to help select appropriate methods of intervention and evaluation. The major aim of this study was to measure the vectorial capacity of five Anopheles species in three neighbouring villages, for two Plasmodium parasite species affecting humans. METHODS From 32 consecutive months of sampling in three villages, 1.5-7.0 km apart, on the Matapi River, Amapá State, Brazil, vectorial capacities (C) were estimated as time series for An. darlingi, An. marajoara, An. nuneztovari, An. triannulatus, and An. intermedius. Monthly parity measurements for each vector species were used to estimate daily survivorship and compared to estimates of survivorship from mark-release-recapture experiments. Gonotrophic cycle lengths were estimated through a time-series analysis of parity data, and durations of sporogony at study site temperatures for the two malaria parasite species were estimated from previous literature. RESULTS The absolute abundances of five vector species were strongly tracked by the spatial variation in C among villages. Temporally, C varied between wet and dry seasons, with An. darlingi, An. marajoara and An. triannulatus exhibiting higher C in the dry season from August to December, and An. nuneztovari its highest C early in the rainy season in January and February. Anopheles intermedius exhibited higher C in the rainy season from April to June than in the dry season. Significant differences in overall survival for each independent variable, and a significant difference in C between wet and dry seasons, among villages, and among vector species for both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) analysis by village showed significant effects of vector species on C in only one village, but significant effects of parasite species in all three. Although the GLMM analysis detected no significant parasite x vector species interaction effects on C, effects on C of spline regressions of C dynamics x vector species interactions were significant in all villages. CONCLUSIONS These detailed analyses of entomological and parasitological variables revealed hidden complexities of malaria epidemiology at local scales in neighbouring riverine villages of the Amazon Region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert H. Zimmerman
- Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS, 200 9th Street SE, Vero Beach, FL 32962 USA
| | - Allan K. R. Galardo
- Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas E Tecnológicas Do Estado de Amapá-IEPA, Campus do IEPA da Fazendinha-CEP, Macapá, 68912-250 Brazil
| | - L Philip Lounibos
- Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University of Florida/IFAS, 200 9th Street SE, Vero Beach, FL 32962 USA
| | - Clicia Galardo
- Laboratório de Entomologia Médica, Instituto de Pesquisas Científicas E Tecnológicas Do Estado de Amapá-IEPA, Campus do IEPA da Fazendinha-CEP, Macapá, 68912-250 Brazil
| | | | - Edzard van Santen
- Agronomy Department and Statistical Consulting Unit, University of Florida/IFAS, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
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21
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Oke CE, Ingham VA, Walling CA, Reece SE. Vector control: agents of selection on malaria parasites? Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:890-903. [PMID: 35981937 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Insect vectors are responsible for spreading many infectious diseases, yet interactions between pathogens/parasites and insect vectors remain poorly understood. Filling this knowledge gap matters because vectors are evolving in response to the deployment of vector control tools (VCTs). Yet, whilst the evolutionary responses of vectors to VCTs are being carefully monitored, the knock-on consequences for parasite evolution have been overlooked. By examining how mosquito responses to VCTs impact upon malaria parasite ecology, we derive a framework for predicting parasite responses. Understanding how VCTs affect the selection pressures imposed on parasites could help to mitigate against parasite evolution that leads to unfavourable epidemiological outcomes. Furthermore, anticipating parasite evolution will inform monitoring strategies for VCT programmes as well as uncovering novel VCT strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Oke
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK.
| | - Victoria A Ingham
- Centre for Infectious Diseases, Parasitology Unit, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69210 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Craig A Walling
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Sarah E Reece
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK; Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK
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22
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Paton DG, Probst AS, Ma E, Adams KL, Shaw WR, Singh N, Bopp S, Volkman SK, Hien DFS, Paré PSL, Yerbanga RS, Diabaté A, Dabiré RK, Lefèvre T, Wirth DF, Catteruccia F. Using an antimalarial in mosquitoes overcomes Anopheles and Plasmodium resistance to malaria control strategies. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010609. [PMID: 35687594 PMCID: PMC9223321 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of insecticide resistance in Anopheles mosquitoes and drug resistance in Plasmodium parasites is contributing to a global resurgence of malaria, making the generation of control tools that can overcome these roadblocks an urgent public health priority. We recently showed that the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum parasites can be efficiently blocked when exposing Anopheles gambiae females to antimalarials deposited on a treated surface, with no negative consequences on major components of mosquito fitness. Here, we demonstrate this approach can overcome the hurdles of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and drug resistant in parasites. We show that the transmission-blocking efficacy of mosquito-targeted antimalarials is maintained when field-derived, insecticide resistant Anopheles are exposed to the potent cytochrome b inhibitor atovaquone, demonstrating that this drug escapes insecticide resistance mechanisms that could potentially interfere with its function. Moreover, this approach prevents transmission of field-derived, artemisinin resistant P. falciparum parasites (Kelch13 C580Y mutant), proving that this strategy could be used to prevent the spread of parasite mutations that induce resistance to front-line antimalarials. Atovaquone is also highly effective at limiting parasite development when ingested by mosquitoes in sugar solutions, including in ongoing infections. These data support the use of mosquito-targeted antimalarials as a promising tool to complement and extend the efficacy of current malaria control interventions. Effective control of malaria is hampered by resistance to vector-targeted insecticides and parasite-targeted drugs. This situation is exacerbated by a critical lack of chemical diversity in both interventions and, as such, new interventions are urgently needed. Recent laboratory studies have shown that an alternative approach based on treating Anopheles mosquitoes directly with antimalarial compounds can make mosquitoes incapable of transmitting the Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. While promising, showing that mosquito-targeted antimalarials remain effective against wild parasites and mosquitoes, including drug- and insecticide-resistant populations in malaria-endemic countries, is crucial to the future viability of this approach. In this study, carried out in the US and Burkina Faso, we show that insecticide-resistance mechanisms found in highly resistant, natural Anopheles mosquito populations do not interfere with the transmission blocking activity of tarsal exposure to the antimalarial atovaquone, and that mosquito-targeted antimalarial exposure can block transmission of parasites resistant to the main therapeutic antimalarial drug artemisinin. By combining lab, and field-based studies in this way we have demonstrated that this novel approach can be effective in areas where conventional control measures are no longer as effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas G. Paton
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DGP); (FC)
| | - Alexandra S. Probst
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - Erica Ma
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - Kelsey L. Adams
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - W. Robert Shaw
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - Naresh Singh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - Selina Bopp
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - Sarah K. Volkman
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - Domombele F. S. Hien
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Prislaure S. L. Paré
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Rakiswendé S. Yerbanga
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Abdoullaye Diabaté
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Roch K. Dabiré
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé/Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Thierry Lefèvre
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Laboratoire mixte international sur les vecteurs (LAMIVECT), Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Centre de Recherche en Écologie et Évolution de la Santé (CREES), Montpellier, France
| | - Dyann F. Wirth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DGP); (FC)
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23
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Harrison RE, Chen K, South L, Lorenzi A, Brown MR, Strand MR. Ad libitum consumption of protein- or peptide-sucrose solutions stimulates egg formation by prolonging the vitellogenic phase of oogenesis in anautogenous mosquitoes. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:127. [PMID: 35413939 PMCID: PMC9004051 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05252-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Anautogenous mosquitoes commonly consume nectars and other solutions containing sugar but are thought to only produce eggs in discrete gonadotrophic cycles after blood-feeding on a vertebrate host. However, some anautogenous species are known to produce eggs if amino acids in the form of protein are added to a sugar solution. Unclear is how different sources of amino acids in sugar solutions affect the processes that regulate egg formation and whether responses vary among species. In this study, we addressed these questions by focusing on Aedes aegypti and conducting some comparative assays with Aedes albopictus, Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles stephensi and Culex quinquefasciatus. Methods Adult female mosquitoes were fed sugar solutions containing amino acids, peptides or protein. Markers for activation of a gonadotrophic cycle including yolk deposition into oocytes, oviposition, ovary ecdysteroidogenesis, expression of juvenile hormone and 20-hydroxyecdysone-responsive genes, and adult blood-feeding behavior were then measured. Results The five anautogenous species we studied produced eggs when fed two proteins (bovine serum albumin, hemoglobin) or a mixture of peptides (tryptone) in 10% sucrose but deposited only small amounts of yolk into oocytes when fed amino acids in 10% sucrose. Focusing on Ae. aegypti, cultures were maintained for multiple generations by feeding adult females protein- or tryptone-sugar meals. Ad libitum access to protein- or tryptone-sugar solutions protracted production of ecdysteroids by the ovaries, vitellogenin by the fat body and protease activity by the midgut albeit at levels that were lower than in blood-fed females. Females also exhibited semi-continual oogenesis and repressed host-seeking behavior. Conclusions Several anautogenous mosquitoes produce eggs when provided ad libitum access to protein- or peptide-sugar meals, but several aspects of oogenesis also differ from females that blood-feed. Graphical Abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-022-05252-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruby E Harrison
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, 120 Cedar Street, 420 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Kangkang Chen
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, 120 Cedar Street, 420 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.,Department of Plant Protection, College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China
| | - Lilith South
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, 120 Cedar Street, 420 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Ange Lorenzi
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, 120 Cedar Street, 420 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Mark R Brown
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, 120 Cedar Street, 420 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Michael R Strand
- Department of Entomology, The University of Georgia, 120 Cedar Street, 420 Biological Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
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24
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Shaw WR, Marcenac P, Catteruccia F. Plasmodium development in Anopheles: a tale of shared resources. Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:124-135. [PMID: 34548252 PMCID: PMC8758519 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between the Anopheles mosquito vector and Plasmodium parasites shape how malaria is transmitted in endemic regions. The long association of these two organisms has led to evolutionary processes that minimize fitness costs of infection and benefit both players through shared nutrient resources, parasite immune suppression, and mosquito tolerance to infection. In this review we explore recent data describing how Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite, associates with one of its most important natural mosquito hosts, Anopheles gambiae, and we discuss the implications of these findings for parasite transmission and vector control strategies currently in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Robert Shaw
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Perrine Marcenac
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Flaminia Catteruccia
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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25
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Singh A, Allam M, Kwenda S, Khumalo ZTH, Ismail A, Oliver SV. The dynamic gut microbiota of zoophilic members of the Anopheles gambiae complex (Diptera: Culicidae). Sci Rep 2022; 12:1495. [PMID: 35087127 PMCID: PMC8795440 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05437-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota of mosquitoes plays a critical role in the life history of the animal. There is a growing body of research characterising the gut microbiota of a range of mosquito species, but there is still a paucity of information on some members of the Anopheles gambiae complex. In this study, the gut microbiota of four laboratory strains were characterised. SENN (Anopheles arabiensis—insecticide susceptible major vector), SENN DDT (Anopheles arabiensis—insecticide resistant major vector), MAFUS (Anopheles merus—minor vector) and SANGWE (Anopheles quadriannulatus—non-vector) were used in this study. The microbiota of fourth instar larvae, 3-day old, 15-day old non-blood fed and 15-day old blood fed females were characterised by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy and 16 s rRNA gene sequencing by next generation sequencing. The four strains differed in species richness but not diversity. The major vectors differ in β-diversity from that of the minor and non-vectors. There was no difference in α- or β-diversity in 15 non-blood fed females and 15-day old females that had 3 blood meals before day 15. These differences may be related to a mixture of the effect of insecticide resistance phenotype as well as a potential relationship to vector competence to a limited extent. Bacterial diversity is affected by species and age. There is also a potential relationship between the differences in gut microbiota and capacity to transmit parasites. This genetic background of the mosquitoes, however, play a major role, and must be considered in this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashmika Singh
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mushal Allam
- Sequencing Core Facility, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Genetics and Genomics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Stanford Kwenda
- Sequencing Core Facility, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Zamantungwa T H Khumalo
- Sequencing Core Facility, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - Arshad Ismail
- Sequencing Core Facility, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shüné V Oliver
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. .,Wits Research Institute for Malaria, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
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26
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Buchanan HD, Goodman CD, McFadden GI. Roles of the apicoplast across the life cycles of rodent and human malaria parasites. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2022; 69:e12947. [PMID: 36070203 PMCID: PMC9828729 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Malaria parasites are diheteroxenous, requiring two hosts-a vertebrate and a mosquito-to complete their life cycle. Mosquitoes are the definitive host where malaria parasite sex occurs, and vertebrates are the intermediate host, supporting asexual amplification and more significant geographic spread. In this review, we examine the roles of a single malaria parasite compartment, the relict plastid known as the apicoplast, at each life cycle stage. We focus mainly on two malaria parasite species-Plasmodium falciparum and P. berghei-comparing the changing, yet ever crucial, roles of their apicoplasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley D. Buchanan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne Medical SchoolThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVic.Australia,Faculty of Science, School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVic.Australia
| | - Christopher D. Goodman
- Faculty of Science, School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVic.Australia
| | - Geoffrey I. McFadden
- Faculty of Science, School of BioSciencesThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVic.Australia
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27
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Tapanelli S, Inghilterra MG, Cai J, Philpott J, Capriotti P, Windbichler N, Christophides GK. Assessment of Plasmodium falciparum Infection and Fitness of Genetically Modified Anopheles gambiae Aimed at Mosquito Population Replacement. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2021.806880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes expressing anti-plasmodial effectors propagating through wild mosquito populations by means of gene drive is a promising tool to support current malaria control strategies. The process of generating GM mosquitoes involves genetic transformation of mosquitoes from a laboratory colony and, often, interbreeding with other GM lines to cross in auxiliary traits. These mosquito colonies and GM lines thus often have different genetic backgrounds and GM lines are invariably highly inbred, which in conjunction with their independent rearing in the laboratory may translate to differences in their susceptibility to malaria parasite infection and life history traits. Here, we show that laboratory Anopheles gambiae colonies and GM lines expressing Cas9 and Cre recombinase vary greatly in their susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum NF54 infection. Therefore, the choice of mosquitoes to be used as a reference when conducting infection or life history trait assays requires careful consideration. To address these issues, we established an experimental pipeline involving genetic crosses and genotyping of mosquitoes reared in shared containers throughout their lifecycle. We used this protocol to examine whether GM lines expressing the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) Scorpine in the mosquito midgut interfere with parasite infection and mosquito survival. We demonstrate that Scorpine expression in the Peritrophin 1 (Aper1) genomic locus reduces both P. falciparum sporozoite prevalence and mosquito lifespan; both these phenotypes are likely to be associated with the disturbance of the midgut microbiota homeostasis. These data lead us to conclude that the Aper1-Sco GM line could be used in proof-of-concept experiments aimed at mosquito population replacement, although the impact of its reduced fitness on the spread of the transgene through wild populations requires further investigation.
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28
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Adelman ZN, Kojin BB. Malaria-Resistant Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae); The Principle is Proven, But Will the Effectors Be Effective? JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2021; 58:1997-2005. [PMID: 34018548 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Over the last few decades, a substantial number of anti-malarial effector genes have been evaluated for their ability to block parasite infection in the mosquito vector. While many of these approaches have yielded significant effects on either parasite intensity or prevalence of infection, just a few have been able to completely block transmission. Additionally, many approaches, while effective against the parasite, also disrupt or alter important aspects of mosquito physiology, leading to corresponding changes in lifespan, reproduction, and immunity. As the most promising approaches move towards field-based evaluation, questions of effector gene robustness and durability move to the forefront. In this forum piece, we critically evaluate past effector gene approaches with an eye towards developing a deeper pipeline to augment the current best candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zach N Adelman
- Department of Entomology and AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Bianca B Kojin
- Department of Entomology and AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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29
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Chiappino-Pepe A, Pandey V, Billker O. Genome reconstructions of metabolism of Plasmodium RBC and liver stages. Curr Opin Microbiol 2021; 63:259-266. [PMID: 34461385 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2021.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Genome scale metabolic models (GEMs) offer a powerful means of integrating genome and biochemical information on an organism to make testable predictions of metabolic functions at different conditions and to systematically predict essential genes that may be targeted by drugs. This review describes how Plasmodium GEMs have become increasingly more accurate through the integration of omics and experimental genetic data. We also discuss how GEMs contribute to our increasing understanding of how Plasmodium metabolism is reprogrammed between life cycle stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anush Chiappino-Pepe
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Vikash Pandey
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, 90187, Sweden; The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå, 90187, Sweden
| | - Oliver Billker
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, 90187, Sweden; The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå, 90187, Sweden
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30
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Leishmaniasis: the act of transmission. Trends Parasitol 2021; 37:976-987. [PMID: 34389215 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The contribution of vector transmission to pathogen establishment is largely underrated. For Leishmania, transmission by sand flies is critical to early survival involving an irreproducible myriad of parasite, vector, and host molecules acting in concert to promote infection at the bite site. Here, we review recent breakthroughs that provide consequential insights into how vector transmission of Leishmania unfolds. We focus on recent work pertaining to the effect of gut microbiota, sand fly immunity, and changes in metacyclogenesis upon multiple blood meals, on Leishmania development and transmission. We also explore how sand fly saliva, egested parasite molecules and vector gut microbiota, and bleeding have been implicated in modulating the early innate host response to Leishmania, affecting the phenotype of neutrophils and monocytes arriving at the bite site.
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31
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Namias A, Jobe NB, Paaijmans KP, Huijben S. The need for practical insecticide-resistance guidelines to effectively inform mosquito-borne disease control programs. eLife 2021; 10:e65655. [PMID: 34355693 PMCID: PMC8346280 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring local mosquito populations for insecticide resistance is critical for effective vector-borne disease control. However, widely used phenotypic assays, which are designed to monitor the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance (technical resistance), do not translate well to the efficacy of vector control products to suppress mosquito numbers in the field (practical resistance). This is because standard testing conditions such as environmental conditions, exposure dose, and type of substrate differ dramatically from those experienced by mosquitoes under field conditions. In addition, field mosquitoes have considerably different physiological characteristics such as age and blood-feeding status. Beyond this, indirect impacts of insecticide resistance and/or exposure on mosquito longevity, pathogen development, host-seeking behavior, and blood-feeding success impact disease transmission. Given the limited number of active ingredients currently available and the observed discordance between resistance and disease transmission, we conclude that additional testing guidelines are needed to determine practical resistance-the efficacy of vector control tools under relevant local conditions- in order to obtain programmatic impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Namias
- Département de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, France
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Ndey Bassin Jobe
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Life Sciences C, Tempe, United States
| | - Krijn Petrus Paaijmans
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Life Sciences C, Tempe, United States
- The Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, Arizona State University, Biodesign Institute, Tempe, United States
- ISGlobal, Carrer del Rosselló, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Distrito da Manhiça, Mozambique
| | - Silvie Huijben
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Life Sciences C, Tempe, United States
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32
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Agyekum TP, Botwe PK, Arko-Mensah J, Issah I, Acquah AA, Hogarh JN, Dwomoh D, Robins TG, Fobil JN. A Systematic Review of the Effects of Temperature on Anopheles Mosquito Development and Survival: Implications for Malaria Control in a Future Warmer Climate. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18147255. [PMID: 34299706 PMCID: PMC8306597 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The rearing temperature of the immature stages can have a significant impact on the life-history traits and the ability of adult mosquitoes to transmit diseases. This review assessed published evidence of the effects of temperature on the immature stages, life-history traits, insecticide susceptibility, and expression of enzymes in the adult Anopheles mosquito. Original articles published through 31 March 2021 were systematically retrieved from Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, ProQuest, and Web of Science databases. After applying eligibility criteria, 29 studies were included. The review revealed that immature stages of An. arabiensis were more tolerant (in terms of survival) to a higher temperature than An. funestus and An. quadriannulatus. Higher temperatures resulted in smaller larval sizes and decreased hatching and pupation time. The development rate and survival of An. stephensi was significantly reduced at a higher temperature than a lower temperature. Increasing temperatures decreased the longevity, body size, length of the gonotrophic cycle, and fecundity of Anopheles mosquitoes. Higher rearing temperatures increased pyrethroid resistance in adults of the An. arabiensis SENN DDT strain, and increased pyrethroid tolerance in the An. arabiensis SENN strain. Increasing temperature also significantly increased Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) expression and decreased insecticide toxicity. Both extreme low and high temperatures affect Anopheles mosquito development and survival. Climate change could have diverse effects on Anopheles mosquitoes. The sensitivities of Anopeheles mosquitoes to temperature differ from species to species, even among the same complex. Notwithstanding, there seem to be limited studies on the effects of temperature on adult life-history traits of Anopheles mosquitoes, and more studies are needed to clarify this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas P. Agyekum
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana; (P.K.B.); (J.A.-M.); (I.I.); (A.A.A.); (J.N.F.)
- Correspondence: or
| | - Paul K. Botwe
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana; (P.K.B.); (J.A.-M.); (I.I.); (A.A.A.); (J.N.F.)
| | - John Arko-Mensah
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana; (P.K.B.); (J.A.-M.); (I.I.); (A.A.A.); (J.N.F.)
| | - Ibrahim Issah
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana; (P.K.B.); (J.A.-M.); (I.I.); (A.A.A.); (J.N.F.)
| | - Augustine A. Acquah
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana; (P.K.B.); (J.A.-M.); (I.I.); (A.A.A.); (J.N.F.)
| | - Jonathan N. Hogarh
- Department of Environmental Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi 00233, Ghana;
| | - Duah Dwomoh
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana;
| | - Thomas G. Robins
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Julius N. Fobil
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana; (P.K.B.); (J.A.-M.); (I.I.); (A.A.A.); (J.N.F.)
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33
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Brackney DE, LaReau JC, Smith RC. Frequency matters: How successive feeding episodes by blood-feeding insect vectors influences disease transmission. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009590. [PMID: 34111228 PMCID: PMC8191993 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Doug E. Brackney
- Center for Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Environmental Sciences, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Jacquelyn C. LaReau
- Center for Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, Department of Environmental Sciences, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, CT, United States of America
| | - Ryan C. Smith
- Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, United States of America
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Rodriguez AM, Hambly MG, Jandu S, Simão-Gurge R, Lowder C, Lewis EE, Riffell JA, Luckhart S. Histamine Ingestion by Anopheles stephensi Alters Important Vector Transmission Behaviors and Infection Success with Diverse Plasmodium Species. Biomolecules 2021; 11:719. [PMID: 34064869 PMCID: PMC8151525 DOI: 10.3390/biom11050719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
An estimated 229 million people worldwide were impacted by malaria in 2019. The vectors of malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) are Anopheles mosquitoes, making their behavior, infection success, and ultimately transmission of great importance. Individuals with severe malaria can exhibit significantly increased blood concentrations of histamine, an allergic mediator in humans and an important insect neuromodulator, potentially delivered to mosquitoes during blood-feeding. To determine whether ingested histamine could alter Anopheles stephensi biology, we provisioned histamine at normal blood levels and at levels consistent with severe malaria and monitored blood-feeding behavior, flight activity, antennal and retinal responses to host stimuli and lifespan of adult female Anopheles stephensi. To determine the effects of ingested histamine on parasite infection success, we quantified midgut oocysts and salivary gland sporozoites in mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium yoelii and Plasmodium falciparum. Our data show that provisioning An. stephensi with histamine at levels consistent with severe malaria can enhance mosquito behaviors and parasite infection success in a manner that would be expected to amplify parasite transmission to and from human hosts. Such knowledge could be used to connect clinical interventions by reducing elevated histamine to mitigate human disease pathology with the delivery of novel lures for improved malaria control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Rodriguez
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843-3051, USA; (A.M.R.); (M.G.H.); (R.S.-G.); (C.L.); (E.E.L.)
| | - Malayna G. Hambly
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843-3051, USA; (A.M.R.); (M.G.H.); (R.S.-G.); (C.L.); (E.E.L.)
| | - Sandeep Jandu
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA; (S.J.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Raquel Simão-Gurge
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843-3051, USA; (A.M.R.); (M.G.H.); (R.S.-G.); (C.L.); (E.E.L.)
| | - Casey Lowder
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843-3051, USA; (A.M.R.); (M.G.H.); (R.S.-G.); (C.L.); (E.E.L.)
| | - Edwin E. Lewis
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843-3051, USA; (A.M.R.); (M.G.H.); (R.S.-G.); (C.L.); (E.E.L.)
| | - Jeffrey A. Riffell
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA; (S.J.); (J.A.R.)
| | - Shirley Luckhart
- Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843-3051, USA; (A.M.R.); (M.G.H.); (R.S.-G.); (C.L.); (E.E.L.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843-3051, USA
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Additional Feeding Reveals Differences in Immune Recognition and Growth of Plasmodium Parasites in the Mosquito Host. mSphere 2021; 6:6/2/e00136-21. [PMID: 33789941 PMCID: PMC8546690 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00136-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes may feed multiple times during their life span in addition to those times needed to acquire and transmit malaria. To determine the impact of subsequent blood feeding on parasite development in Anopheles gambiae, we examined Plasmodium parasite infection with or without an additional noninfected blood meal. We found that an additional blood meal significantly reduced Plasmodium berghei immature oocyst numbers, yet had no effect on the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum. These observations were reproduced when mosquitoes were fed an artificial protein meal, suggesting that parasite losses are independent of blood ingestion. We found that feeding with either a blood or protein meal compromises midgut basal lamina integrity as a result of the physical distention of the midgut, enabling the recognition and lysis of immature P. berghei oocysts by mosquito complement. Moreover, we demonstrate that additional feeding promotes P. falciparum oocyst growth, suggesting that human malaria parasites exploit host resources provided with blood feeding to accelerate their growth. This is in contrast to experiments with P. berghei, where the size of surviving oocysts is independent of an additional blood meal. Together, these data demonstrate distinct differences in Plasmodium species in evading immune detection and utilizing host resources at the oocyst stage, representing an additional, yet unexplored component of vectorial capacity that has important implications for the transmission of malaria. IMPORTANCE Mosquitoes must blood feed multiple times to acquire and transmit malaria. However, the impact of an additional mosquito blood meal following malaria parasite infection has not been closely examined. Here, we demonstrate that additional feeding affects mosquito vector competence; namely, additional feeding significantly limits Plasmodium berghei infection, yet has no effect on infection of the human parasite P. falciparum. Our experiments support that these killing responses are mediated by the physical distension of the midgut and by temporary damage to the midgut basal lamina that exposes immature P. berghei oocysts to mosquito complement, while human malaria parasites are able to evade these killing mechanisms. In addition, we provide evidence that additional feeding promotes P. falciparum oocyst growth. This is in contrast to P. berghei, where oocyst size is independent of an additional blood meal. This suggests that human malaria parasites are able to exploit host resources provided by an additional feeding to accelerate their growth. In summary, our data highlight distinct differences in malaria parasite species in evading immune recognition and adapting to mosquito blood feeding. These observations have important, yet previously unexplored, implications for the impact of multiple blood meals on the transmission of malaria.
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Talyuli OAC, Bottino-Rojas V, Polycarpo CR, Oliveira PL, Paiva-Silva GO. Non-immune Traits Triggered by Blood Intake Impact Vectorial Competence. Front Physiol 2021; 12:638033. [PMID: 33737885 PMCID: PMC7960658 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.638033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Blood-feeding arthropods are considered an enormous public health threat. They are vectors of a plethora of infectious agents that cause potentially fatal diseases like Malaria, Dengue fever, Leishmaniasis, and Lyme disease. These vectors shine due to their own physiological idiosyncrasies, but one biological aspect brings them all together: the requirement of blood intake for development and reproduction. It is through blood-feeding that they acquire pathogens and during blood digestion that they summon a collection of multisystemic events critical for vector competence. The literature is focused on how classical immune pathways (Toll, IMD, and JAK/Stat) are elicited throughout the course of vector infection. Still, they are not the sole determinants of host permissiveness. The dramatic changes that are the hallmark of the insect physiology after a blood meal intake are the landscape where a successful infection takes place. Dominant processes that occur in response to a blood meal are not canonical immunological traits yet are critical in establishing vector competence. These include hormonal circuitries and reproductive physiology, midgut permeability barriers, midgut homeostasis, energy metabolism, and proteolytic activity. On the other hand, the parasites themselves have a role in the outcome of these blood triggered physiological events, consistently using them in their favor. Here, to enlighten the knowledge on vector-pathogen interaction beyond the immune pathways, we will explore different aspects of the vector physiology, discussing how they give support to these long-dated host-parasite relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Octavio A C Talyuli
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Bottino-Rojas
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carla R Polycarpo
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Pedro L Oliveira
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gabriela O Paiva-Silva
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Plasmodium oocysts respond with dormancy to crowding and nutritional stress. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3090. [PMID: 33542254 PMCID: PMC7862253 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81574-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria parasites develop as oocysts in the mosquito for several days before they are able to infect a human host. During this time, mosquitoes take bloodmeals to replenish their nutrient and energy reserves needed for flight and reproduction. We hypothesized that these bloodmeals are critical for oocyst growth and that experimental infection protocols, typically involving a single bloodmeal at the time of infection, cause nutritional stress to the developing oocysts. Therefore, enumerating oocysts disregarding their growth and differentiation state may lead to erroneous conclusions about the efficacy of transmission blocking interventions. Here, we examine this hypothesis in Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes infected with the human and rodent parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei, respectively. We show that oocyst growth and maturation rates decrease at late developmental stages as infection intensities increase; an effect exacerbated at very high infection intensities but fully restored with post infection bloodmeals. High infection intensities and starvation conditions reduce RNA Polymerase III activity in oocysts unless supplemental bloodmeals are provided. Our results suggest that oocysts respond to crowding and nutritional stress with a dormancy-like strategy, which urges the development of alternative methods to assess the efficacy of transmission blocking interventions.
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Stopard IJ, Churcher TS, Lambert B. Estimating the extrinsic incubation period of malaria using a mechanistic model of sporogony. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008658. [PMID: 33591963 PMCID: PMC7909686 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During sporogony, malaria-causing parasites infect a mosquito, reproduce and migrate to the mosquito salivary glands where they can be transmitted the next time blood feeding occurs. The time required for sporogony, known as the extrinsic incubation period (EIP), is an important determinant of malaria transmission intensity. The EIP is typically estimated as the time for a given percentile, x, of infected mosquitoes to develop salivary gland sporozoites (the infectious parasite life stage), which is denoted by EIPx. Many mechanisms, however, affect the observed sporozoite prevalence including the human-to-mosquito transmission probability and possibly differences in mosquito mortality according to infection status. To account for these various mechanisms, we present a mechanistic mathematical model, which explicitly models key processes at the parasite, mosquito and observational scales. Fitting this model to experimental data, we find greater variation in the EIP than previously thought: we estimated the range between EIP10 and EIP90 (at 27°C) as 4.5 days compared to 0.9 days using existing statistical methods. This pattern holds over the range of study temperatures included in the dataset. Increasing temperature from 21°C to 34°C decreased the EIP50 from 16.1 to 8.8 days. Our work highlights the importance of mechanistic modelling of sporogony to (1) improve estimates of malaria transmission under different environmental conditions or disease control programs and (2) evaluate novel interventions that target the mosquito life stages of the parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac J. Stopard
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas S. Churcher
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ben Lambert
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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