An ex vivo system for investigation of Plasmodium berghei invasion of the salivary gland of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes.

Plasmodium sporozoites associated with the midgut and in the hemolymph of mosquitoes differ from sporozoites in the secretory cavities and ducts of the insects' salivary glands in their transcriptome, proteome, motility, and infectivity. Using an ex vivo Anopheles stephensi salivary gland culture system incorporating simple microfluidics and transgenic Plasmodium berghei with the fluorescent protein gene mCherry under the transcriptional control of the Pbuis4 promoter whose expression served as a proxy for parasite maturation, we observed rapid parasite maturation in the absence of salivary gland invasion. While in vivo Pbuis4::mCherry expression was only detectable in sporozoites within the salivary glands (mature parasites) as expected, the simple exposure of P. berghei sporozoites to dissected salivary glands led to rapid parasite maturation as indicated by mCherry expression. These results suggest that previous efforts to develop ex vivo and in vitro systems for investigating sporozoite interactions with mosquito salivary glands have likely been unsuccessful in part because the maturation of sporozoites leads to a loss in the ability to invade salivary glands.

Comparative fine structure of eggs of autogenous and anautogenous Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae).

Culex (Cx.) pipiens is the potential vector human filariasis in Egypt. However, autogenous Cx. pipiens may be less efficient vector of Wuchereria (W.) bancrofti in endemic areas of Egypt compared to anautogenous counterparts. In this study, an attempt was made to differentiate eggs of autogenous and anautogenous Cx. pipiens using scanning electron micrographs. The results indicated that eggs of both species appear to be similar to great extent in surface morphology. Eggs of both forms are black and elongate-oval. Width is greatest at the anterior end. The posterior end is pointed. The micropylar disc is apparent with distinct edge. Exochorionic bridges are angular. Size of both eggs represented by length and width are comparable. In both eggs, length is greater than width. However, eggs of both forms can be distinguished from each other by the exochorionic bridges being longer and thinner in the autogenous eggs than in the anautogenous eggs.