Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26373633›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2015

Detection of viable plasmodium ookinetes in the midguts of anopheles coluzzi using PMA-qrtPCR.

Tibebu Habtewold, Zoe Groom, Luc Duchateau, George K Christophides

Open access · goldAbstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Persistence ofMicrobiology spectrum · 2026
    Article
  2. AmSphere · 2024
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Absence of ViableMicroorganisms · 2020
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Tibebu HabtewoldDepartment of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK. t.habtewold@ic.ac.uk.
Zoe GroomDepartment of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Luc DuchateauDepartment of Comparative Physiology and Biometrics, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
George K ChristophidesDepartment of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Imperial College London · GBCostello Medical Consulting (United Kingdom) · GBGhent University · BE

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/K009338/1Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust WT093587MA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMosquito infection with malaria parasites depends on complex interactions between the mosquito immune response, the parasite developmental program and the midgut microbiota. Simultaneous monitoring of the parasite and bacterial dynamics is important when studying these interactions. PCR based methods of genomic DNA (gDNA) have been widely used, but their inability to discriminate between live and dead cells compromises their application. The alternative method of quantification of mRNA mainly reports on cell activity rather than density.

methodQuantitative real-time (qrt) PCR in combination with Propidium Monoazide (PMA) treatment (PMA-qrtPCR) has been previously used for selectively enumerating viable microbial cells. PMA penetrates damaged cell membranes and intercalates in the DNA inhibiting its PCR amplification. Here, we tested the potential of PMA-qrtPCR to discriminate between and quantify live and dead Plasmodium berghei malarial parasites and commensal bacteria in the midgut of Anopheles coluzzii Coetzee & Wilkerson 2013 (formerly An. gambiae M-form).

resultsBy combining microscopic observations with reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) we reveal that, in addition to gDNA, mRNA from dead parasites also persists inside the mosquito midgut, therefore its quantification cannot accurately reflect live-only parasites at the time of monitoring. In contrast, pre-treating the samples with PMA selectively inhibited qrtPCR amplification of parasite gDNA, with about 15 cycles (Ct-value) difference between PMA-treated and control samples. The limit of detection corresponds to 10 Plasmodium ookinetes. Finally, we show that the PMA-qrtPCR method can be used to quantify bacteria that are present in the mosquito midgut.

conclusionThe PMA-qrtPCR is a suitable method for quantification of viable parasites and bacteria in the midgut of Anopheles mosquitoes. The method will be valuable when studying the molecular interactions between the mosquito, the malaria parasite and midgut microbiota.

Indexed as

AnimalsAnophelesBacteriaCell SurvivalEntomologyGastrointestinal TractPlasmodium bergheiReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionReverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Identifiers

PMID26373633
PMCPMC4572643
OpenAlexW1698481306

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.