Susceptibility of English Culex pipiens L. to Infection with Bird Malaria

Abstract

IN a recent letter¹ we described a method of inducing females of Culex pipiens to gorge on canaries. Wo have utilised this method for experiments on the infection and transmission of bird malaria by English C. pipiens. In the course of our experiments 393 mosquitoes gorged on birds heavily infected with malaria (Plasmodium relictum, Grassi and Feletti). 131 of the mosquitoes were dissected and 72 (55 per cent) were found to be infected. On dissection many of the mosquitoes showed more than twenty cysts on the stomach and the salivary glands were heavily infected with sporozoites. The infected mosquitoes readily transmitted the malaria parasite to healthy canaries.