title: Sporozoite loads of naturally infected Anopheles in Kilifi District, Kenya.
abstract: The number of salivary gland malaria sporozoites (sporozoite load) was determined by hemacytometer counts for 2,055 field-collected Anopheles mosquitoes from Kilifi District, Kenya. Of 48 gland-positive Anopheles gambiae s.l., sporozoite loads ranged from 125 to 79,875, with a geometric mean of 1,743 sporozoites per infected mosquito. About half of the infected mosquitoes had sporozoite loads < 1,000. Following hemacytometer examination of salivary gland samples, the same samples were subsequently tested for Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite (CS) protein by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The confirmation by ELISA of CS protein in 89.6% (43/48) of the salivary gland-positive samples compared to only 1.4% (28/2,007) of the dissection-negative mosquitoes indicated that dissection methods with hemacytometer counts of sporozoites were adequate for detecting even low numbers of sporozoites in field-collected mosquitoes. Detection of 17 or fewer sporozoites in blood meals of 7 freshly bloodfed An. gambiae s.l. provides a further indication that the actual number of sporozoites transmitted during bloodfeeding may be quite low.
authors.affiliation: Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Kabiru
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mbogo
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Muiruri
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ouma
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Githure
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Beier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007630:Kenya; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C041595:circumsporozoite protein, Protozoan