Research
Coquillettidia (Culicidae, Diptera) mosquitoes are natural vectors of avian malaria in Africa
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* Corresponding author: Kevin Y Njabo kynjabo@hotmail.com
1 Center for Tropical Research, UCLA Institute of the Environment, Los Angeles, California, USA
2 Mosquito Control and Biology, Kearney Agricultural Center, University of California, Davis, USA
3 Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, CA 94132, USA
4 Institute of Ecology Vilnius University Akademijos 2 Vilnius 2600, Lithuania
Malaria Journal 2009, 8:193 doi:10.1186/1475-2875-8-193
Published: 10 August 2009Abstract
Background
The mosquito vectors of Plasmodium spp. have largely been overlooked in studies of ecology and evolution of avian malaria and other vertebrates in wildlife.
Methods
Plasmodium DNA from wild-caught Coquillettidia spp. collected from lowland forests in Cameroon was isolated and sequenced using nested PCR. Female Coquillettidia aurites were also dissected and salivary glands were isolated and microscopically examined for the presence of sporozoites.
Results
In total, 33% (85/256) of mosquito pools tested positive for avian Plasmodium spp., harbouring at least eight distinct parasite lineages. Sporozoites of Plasmodium spp. were recorded in salivary glands of C. aurites supporting the PCR data that the parasites complete development in these mosquitoes. Results suggest C. aurites, Coquillettidia pseudoconopas and Coquillettidia metallica as new and important vectors of avian malaria in Africa. All parasite lineages recovered clustered with parasites formerly identified from several bird species and suggest the vectors capability of infecting birds from different families.
Conclusion
Identifying the major vectors of avian Plasmodium spp. will assist in understanding the epizootiology of avian malaria, including differences in this disease distribution between pristine and disturbed landscapes.