Article

Mosquitoes and transmission of malaria parasites – not just vectors

Malaria Journal 01/2004;
Source: DOAJ

ABSTRACT Abstract

The regional malaria epidemics of the early 1900s provided the basis for much of our current understanding of malaria epidemiology. Colonel Gill, an eminent malariologist of that time, suggested that the explosive nature of the regional epidemics was due to a sudden increased infectiousness of the adult population. His pertinent observations underlying this suggestion have, however, gone unheeded. Here, the literature on Plasmodium seasonal behaviour is reviewed and three historical data sets, concerning seasonal transmission of Plasmodium falciparum , are examined. It is proposed that the dramatic seasonal increase in the density of uninfected mosquito bites results in an increased infectiousness of the human reservoir of infection and, therefore, plays a key role in "kick-starting" malaria parasite transmission.

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Keywords

adult population
 
Colonel Gill
 
current understanding
 
dramatic seasonal increase
 
eminent malariologist
 
explosive nature
 
historical data sets
 
human reservoir
 
malaria epidemiology
 
malaria parasite transmission
 
regional epidemics
 
regional malaria epidemics
 
seasonal transmission
 
uninfected mosquito bites results