Mosquito midgut barriers to malaria parasite development

Abstract

Malaria is one of the deadliest infectious diseases and kills more than one million people every year. For transmission to occur, the malaria parasite has to complete an elaborate developmental program in hostile mosquito environment. Thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms by which mosquitoes limit the parasite development may lead to new methods for controlling malaria. There has been considerable progress during the last decade in this research area. This review focuses on the mosquito response to midgut invasion of the malaria parasite and examines the role of mosquito digestive enzymes, peritrophic matrix and microvillar proteins as barriers to parasite development.