The establishment of Plasmodium berghei in mosquitoes of a refractory and a susceptible line of Anopheles atroparvus

Abstract

The events between the ingestion of Plasmodium berghei-infected mouse blood and the establishment of the ookinetes in the epithelium of the midgut in refractory (R) and susceptible (S) Anopheles atroparvus are described. Simultaneously fed, fully engorged female mosquitoes were randomly assigned to dissection at 22, 28, 32, 48 h and 10 days (controls) after the infective feed (post-infection: p.i.). Serial transverse sections of 6 micron were cut. Every 10th section was studied. The maturation of ookinetes was monitored at 16, 19 and 22 h p.i. The infections in R and S mosquitoes developed similarly with regard to the maturation of ookinetes and the number of mature ookinetes in the lumen of the midgut. The semiquantitative evaluation of the envelopment of the food bolus by the peritrophic layer showed that this layer cannot function as a physical barrier against migrating ookinetes. In the midgut epithelium the number of ookinetes decreased significantly with time in both R and S mosquitoes, but a similar number of penetrations was recorded for both types of mosquito. In S mosquitoes maximal 1% of the ookinetes present in the midgut formed an oocyst. In both R and S mosquitoes a substantial loss of parasites was found, first in the lumen of the midgut and second after penetration of the midgut epithelium by the mature ookinetes. Relatively few parasites develop into oocysts in S, but hardly any do so in R individuals. The factors in control of refractoriness are likely to operate on early oocyst development.