Mosquitoes and parasites. I, Rearing of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. III, Procedures required to generate Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes infected with the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. IV:D, Production of Plasmodium falciparum oocysts and sporozoites

The production of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes infected with the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, involves the propagation of parasite and vector life cycles in parallel. It is a technically difficult procedure which requires considerable pre-planning and attention to detail in order to be successful. In particular, the precise timing of each stage of the process is of paramount importance to ensure a consistant supply of infected mosquitoes for the purposes of research. This 'timeline' is a valuble organisational tool in that it identifies, in short-hand form, precisely what tasks need to be performed on a day-to-day basis. In our laboratory, we have found this schematic representation to be useful not only as an aide memoire for the experienced parasitologist but also as a teaching aid to researchers new to malaria.