Abstract
Whether the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum can manipulate mosquito host choice in ways that enhance parasite transmission toward human is unknown. We assessed the influence of P. falciparum on the blood-feeding behaviour of three of its major vectors (Anopheles coluzzii, An. gambiae and An. arabiensis) in Burkina Faso. Host preferences assays using odor-baited traps revealed no effect of infection on mosquito long-range anthropophily. However, the identification of the blood meal origin of mosquitoes showed that females carrying sporozoites, the mature transmissible stage of the parasite, were 24% more anthropophagic than both females harbouring oocysts, the parasite immature stage, and uninfected individuals. Using a mathematical model, we further show that this increased anthropophagy in infectious females can have important epidemiological consequences with up to 123% increase in parasite transmission at low mosquito to human ratios. This increase in transmission potential highlights the importance of vector control tools targeting infectious females.
