ArticleParasites & vectors2020
A mosquito feeding assay to examine Plasmodium transmission to mosquitoes using small blood volumes in 3D printed nano-feeders.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Use of Synthetic Membranes and Bovine Blood in Artificial Feeding Systems of Mosquitoes Improves Feeding Rates: Results from a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2025Pooled it
- Polygenic viral factors enable efficient mosquito-borne transmission of African Zika virus.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Experimental evidence rules out mosquitoes as vectors of Lyme disease.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Beyond the bite: how mosquito salivary proteins modulate midgut biology and malaria parasite transmission.Current opinion in insect science · 2025Review
- Anopheles gambiae phagocytic hemocytes promote Plasmodium falciparum infection by regulating midgut epithelial integrity.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Characterization of the Sodium Multi-Vitamin Transporter in the MosquitoBiomolecules · 2025Article
- 3D printing approaches to simulate natural diets for insects with implications for domestication and mass-rearing.Frontiers in insect science · 2025Review
- Simplified Plasmodium falciparum membrane feeding assay using small Petri dishes and gel warmers.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Peptides with Antimicrobial Activity in the Saliva of the Malaria VectorInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Rising role of 3D-printing in delivery of therapeutics for infectious disease.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 2024Review
- Mechanistic modelling of within-mosquito viral dynamics: Insights into infection and dissemination patterns.PLoS computational biology · 2023Article
- Efficiency of mitochondrial genes and nuclear Alu elements in detecting human DNA in blood meals of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes: a time-course study.Parasites & vectors · 2023Article
- Comparative analysis of glass and Hemotek membrane feeding systems for malaria transmission research.Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 2023Article
- Article
- Potential mosquito vector attraction to- and feeding preferences for pigs in Romanian backyard farms.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTo understand the dynamics of malaria transmission, membrane feeding assays with glass feeders are used to assess the transmission potential of malaria infected individuals to mosquitoes. However, in some circumstances, use of these assays is hindered by both the blood volume requirement and the availability of fragile, specially crafted glass feeders. 3D printed plastic feeders that require very small volumes of blood would thus expand the utility of membrane feeding assays.
methodsUsing two 3D printing production methods, MultiJet (MJ) and Digital Light Processing (DLP), we developed a plastic version of the most commonly used standard glass feeder (the mini-feeder) with an improved design, and also a smaller feeder requiring only 60 µl of blood (the nano-feeder). Performance of the 3D printed feeders was compared to standard glass mini-feeders by assessing infectivity of gametocytes to mosquitoes in standard membrane feeding assays with laboratory reared Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes and cultured Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes. In addition, the optimum number of mosquitoes that can feed on the nano-feeder was determined by evaluating fully fed mosquitoes visually and by assessing blood- meal volume with a colorimetric haemoglobin assay.
resultsThe 3D printing methods allowed quick and inexpensive production of durable feeders. Infectivity of gametocytes to mosquitoes was comparable for MJ and DLP 3D printed feeders and glass feeders, and the performance of the 3D printed feeders was not influenced by repeated washing with bleach. There was no loss in transmission efficiency when the feeder size was reduced from mini-feeder to nano-feeder, and blood-meal volume assessment indicated ~10 An. stephensi mosquitoes can take a full blood-meal (median volume 3.44 µl) on a nano-feeder.
conclusionsHere we present 3D printed mini- and nano-feeders with comparable performance to the currently used glass mini-feeders. These feeders do not require specialized glass craftsmanship, making them easily accessible. Moreover, the smaller nano-feeders will enable evaluation of smaller blood volumes that can be collected from finger prick, thus expanding the utility of membrane feeding assays and facilitating a more thorough evaluation of the human infectious reservoir for malaria.
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