Comparison of Plasmodium falciparum infectivity to Anopheles dirus D using direct and indirect blood feeding methods

Membrane feeding method (indirect blood feeding) using defibrinated blood has been established and was found to be as good as the direct feeding method with no singificant differences in the production of oocysts and sporozoites in Anopheles dirus D (p > 0.05). However, lsuccessful feeding was greater in the direct feeding method (69.4 per cent) when compared to the membrane feeding method (46.7 per cent) (p <0.0001). Based on 19 malaria patients who had > 400 gametocytes per ul of blood, the effect of antimalarial drugs on oocyst and sporozoite rates was also studied and it was found that mefloquine treated patients produced reduced infection and infectivity in an. dirus D than those who received antimalarial drugs other than mefloquine. Patients who had gametocytes and have been treated for causes other than malaria and who did not receive any antimalarial drugs were found to produce the highest infection and infectivity rates in An. dirus D (p < 0.0001).