Authors

LB Stewart¹; M Kristan¹; M Reis Wunderlich¹; AZ Tremp¹; MT Famodimu¹; E Alves¹; CJ Sutherland¹; M Delves¹;  ¹ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK

Discussion

Established in December 2020 at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) with support from a Wellcome Trust Biomedical Resources grant, the Human Malaria Transmission Facility provides research groups worldwide with access to Anopheles spp. mosquitoes infected with human malaria parasites. With a strong track record of successful experiments, the facility specialises in studies of Plasmodium transmission, working closely with collaborators to design and execute research across the malaria transmission cycle. Insectary-reared Anopheles mosquitoes are fed Plasmodium spp. gametocytes - grown in vitro or obtained from clinical samples provided by the UKHSA Malaria Reference Laboratory - via artificial membrane feeding. A variety of experimental endpoints can be assessed, including ookinete imaging, oocyst prevalence and intensity in mosquito midguts, sporozoite presence in salivary glands, and oocyst genotyping. The facility supports a wide array of studies, including: investigations into the transmission potential of transgenic P. falciparum lines; exploration of the relationship between mosquito microbiome and malaria transmission; xenomonitoring of parasite prevalence in vector and non-vector blood-feeding insects; studies on the impact of parasite drug resistance on fitness for mosquito infection; evaluation of how drugs, insecticides and endectocides affect sporogony. We have successfully infected mosquitoes with clinical isolates exhibiting varying anti-malarial resistance phenotypes. These experiments offer valuable insight into the effects of drug resistance and demonstrate that various P. falciparum strains, of different origins, can be transmitted to mosquitoes within our facility. We will present selected results from collaborative studies with both UK-based and international partners.