Coquillettidia (Culicidae, Diptera) mosquitoes are natural vectors of avian malaria in Africa

Plasmodium DNA from wild-caught Coquillettidia spp. collected from lowland forests in Cameroon was isolated and sequenced using nested PCR. Female Coquillettidia aurites were also dissected and salivary glands were isolated and microscopically examined for the presence of sporozoites.In total, 33% (85/256) of mosquito pools tested positive for avian Plasmodium spp., harbouring at least eight distinct parasite lineages. Sporozoites of Plasmodium spp. were recorded in salivary glands of C. aurites supporting the PCR data that the parasites complete development in these mosquitoes. Results suggest C. aurites, Coquillettidia pseudoconopas and Coquillettidia metallica as new and important vectors of avian malaria in Africa. All parasite lineages recovered clustered with parasites formerly identified from several bird species and suggest the vectors capability of infecting birds from different families.Identifying the major vectors of avian Plasmodium spp. will assist in understanding the epizootiology of avian malaria, including differences in this disease distribution between pristine and disturbed landscapes.Avian malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium (Haemosporida, Plasmodiidae), are cosmopolitan mosquito-transmitted haematozoa [1,2]. In contrast to human malaria, avian malaria has a worldwide distribution and is caused by approximately 50 species of Plasmodium [3,4]. The widespread geographic distribution of avian malaria parasites and their broad range of avian hosts make them excellent models for exploring the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of vector-host-parasite associations.Although some 50 species of avian Plasmodium have been identified using phenotypic characters [2,4], molecular data reveal remarkable genetic diversity of these parasites, indicating that the number of avian Plasmodium species and their taxonomic diversity may be greater than is accepted in the current classifications [5]. Avian Plasmodium are transmitted wherever the mosquitoes, su