title: Larval food quantity affects the capacity of adult mosquitoes to transmit human malaria.
abstract: Adult traits of holometabolous insects are shaped by conditions experienced during larval development, which might impact interactions between adult insect hosts and parasites. However, the ecology of larval insects that vector disease remains poorly understood. Here, we used Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes and the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, to investigate whether larval conditions affect the capacity of adult mosquitoes to transmit malaria. We reared larvae in two groups; one group received a standard laboratory rearing diet, whereas the other received a reduced diet. Emerging adult females were then provided an infectious blood meal. We assessed mosquito longevity, parasite development rate and prevalence of infectious mosquitoes over time. Reduced larval food led to increased adult mortality and caused a delay in parasite development and a slowing in the rate at which parasites invaded the mosquito salivary glands, extending the time it took for mosquitoes to become infectious. Together, these effects increased transmission potential of mosquitoes in the high food regime by 260-330%. Such effects have not, to our knowledge, been shown previously for human malaria and highlight the importance of improving knowledge of larval ecology to better understand vector-borne disease transmission dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA llmshapiro@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lillian L M
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Courtney C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Murdock
authors.affiliation: Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000502:physiology; D007814:Larva / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology; D008288:Malaria / Q000635:transmission*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum
keywords: Anopheles; Plasmodium falciparum; extrinsic incubation period; vector borne disease; vector competence; vectorial capacity