Monoclonal antibodies to circumsporozoite proteins identify the species of malaria parasite in infected mosquitoes

An understanding of the epidemiology of malaria depends on the accurate identification of the portion of the mosquito vector population carrying infectious sporozoites. This is usually determined by laborious dissection and examination of individual mosquitoes, often in areas where less than 1 per 1,000 mosquitoes contain sporozoites¹. Moreover, it is impossible to identify the species of malaria parasite in the invertebrate host by morphological criteria. Here we describe two sensitive immunoradiometric assays which use monoclonal antibodies to detect circumsporozoite (CS) protein antigens. These tests can detect, identify and quantify sporozoites in individual or pools of mosquitoes; minimal effort is required and testing can be performed long after mosquito collection at sites removed from endemic areas.