Malaria infection depends on number of parasites, not number of mosquito bites

For the first time, researchers have shown that the number of parasites each mosquito carries influences the chance of successful malaria infection. The finding has implications for vaccine development and studies into how the disease spreads in the field. The findings, from scientists at Imperial College London, may also explain why the only registered malaria vaccine, RTS,S , has had only partial efficacy in recent trials. Malaria is spread when mosquitoes bite humans and release microscopic parasites, which live in the salivary glands of the mosquitoes, into the person's bloodstream. These findings could have significant implications for public health. We have shown that the concept of relying on the number of bites alone to predict malarial burden is flawed. Dr Andrew Blagborough The parasites then travel to the liver, where they mature and multiply for 8-30 days before spreading throughout the bloodstream and causing the symptoms of malaria.