Anti-mosquito haemolymph antibodies induce fecundity reduction and alter the polypeptide pattern in Anopheles stephensi (Diptera:insecta)

Insects causing havoc to human health are difficult to control by insecticides. The recent surge in malaria cases, the spread of multi drug resistant parasites and the emergence of insecticide resistant anopheline mosquitoes has emphasized the need for effective malaria control strategies and bolstered research efforts towards the development of vaccines. Recent studies on anti-arthropod vaccine opens new avenues to disrupt the reproductive physiology of the insects. It is well established that ovarian proteins/insect vitellogens are synthesized by the female fat body (Dhadialla and Raikhel, 1990) and secreted in the haemolymph which are then selectively sequestered to the developing oocyte by receptor mediated endocytosis (Giorgi et al., 1998) and stored in yolk granules (Raikhel and Dhadialla, 1992). Therefore, the antibodies against haemolymph may disrupt the reproductive physiology of the mosquitoes. Here we identified the putative antigens as next rational step towards anti-mosquito and transmission blocking vaccine.