Plant Sugars Influence Malaria Transmission

Female mosquitoes are known to feed on blood, but they also consume sugar through nectar, fruit, and tree sap. A study published in PLOS Pathogens suggests that the plant-based part of their diet affects malaria transmission by influencing the host-pathogen interaction between Anopheles mosquitoes and Plasmodium parasites.

A study by Domonbabele Hien and Thierry Lefevre, from the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso examined the impact of plant diversity on mosquito susceptibility to malaria parasites. The team studied the natural interactions between the P. falciparum parasite, the Anopheles coluzzii mosquito (a major vector of P. falciparum in Africa), and several natural plant-derived sugar sources growing in the vicinity to human dwellings in Burkina Faso, such as ornamental flowering plants (B. lupilina and T. neriifolia), as well as mangoes and the grape-like fruit from the Lannea microcarpa tree.

Results suggest that, indeed, plant sugar source can be a significant driver of malaria transmission dynamics. Both L. microcarpa and B. lupilina increased malaria transmission by an estimated 30 percent and 40 percent, respectively, mainly because of increased infection rates among mosquitoes exposed to parasites through their blood-meal. In contrast, T. neriifolia, with its negative effect on infection rate and decreased longevity, was predicted to decrease malaria transmission by 30 percent compared with sugar water.

The researchers said, "Our findings add a more direct effect of epidemiological importance by showing that plant-derived sugars can modulate mosquito-Plasmodium interactions."

For more details, read the news release at the Institut de recherche pour de développement website.