Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41639721›Full record

ArticleMalaria journal2026

Mosquito direct skin feeding bioassay: 15 years of experience and a standardised approach in Mali.

Daman Sylla, Jen C C Hume, Heather Goodman, Adama Sacko, Jennifer L Kwan, Abdrahamane Fofana, Mahamadoun H Assadou Maiga, Abdoulaye Katile, M 'bouye Doucoure, Mamady Kone and 34 more

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Article in Malaria journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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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

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4 · The record

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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

44 authors.

Daman Sylla *Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Jen C C Hume *Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Heather GoodmanLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Adama SackoMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Jennifer L KwanLaboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abdrahamane FofanaMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Mahamadoun H Assadou MaigaMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Abdoulaye KatileMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
M 'bouye DoucoureMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Mamady KoneMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Boubacar CoulibalyMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Agnes GuindoMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Moussa DialloMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Mariam DoumbiaMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Salifou M KoneMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Amatigue ZeguimeMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Sekou GoitaMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Moridie SidibeMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Sale SidibeMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Yacouba DembeleMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Kourane SissokoMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Baba DjiguibaMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Seydou SankareMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Sadio D K DiarraMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Ousmane A PoudiougoMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Bakary TraoreMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Yacouba DiarraMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Lakamy SyllaMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Boubacar TembelyMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Amadou Sekou TraoreMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Bourama KamateMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Ibrahima BaberMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Alemush ImeruLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Emily HigbeeLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Olga MuratovaLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Freda OmaswaLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Yimin WuLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Alpha S YaroMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Sara A HealyLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Issaka SagaraMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Cheick S TraoreMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Ogobara K DoumboMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Mamadou B CoulibalyMalaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali.
Patrick E DuffyLaboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. patrick.duffy@nih.gov.

Funding

Division of Intramural Research of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, DHHS ZIA-AI001056European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership RIA2018SV-2311
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNew malaria control tools are urgently needed. Transmission-blocking vaccines (TBVs) target sexual parasite stages in mosquitoes to prevent disease spread. TBV testing requires specialised mosquito transmission assays, such as the Direct Skin Feeding (DSF) bioassay. DSF is a xenodiagnostic tool that mimics parasite transmission to mosquitoes as it naturally occurs but has not previously been scaled up nor standardised for use in clinical trials.

methodsDSF bioassays were performed on large cohorts of participants, including children five years and older, during observational and interventional studies conducted over a 15-year period at sites around Bamako, Mali. Human, mosquito and parasite parameters were monitored to assess DSF safety and acceptability, vector performance, and individual- and population-level transmission dynamics. Standardised procedures developed for DSF included mosquito colony maintenance, mosquito preparation for DSF, feeding procedures, quality control metrics, ethical approaches and volunteer follow-up.

resultsFrom 2011 through 2025, 37,984 DSF bioassays were performed on 2,796 rural study participants aged 5 years and older, at two Mali study sites. DSFs were well-accepted and safe, with a low refusal rate (0.8% of subjects in vaccine studies) and rare adverse events (AE) that met grading criteria (11 subjects; 0.032%). The few immediate and short-term skin reactions that met AE grading criteria were mild or moderate in severity, all resolving within 48 h. DSF infrastructure was progressively scaled up to a capacity of 120 assays per day requiring 36,000 female mosquitoes per week. Rates of DSF positivity were highest in studies where feeds were conducted on individuals with known Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia (average 18.4%) vs studies where feeds were conducted on all participants irrespective of blood smear status (average 1.6%).

conclusionsThe DSF bioassay is a xenodiagnostic tool to detect transmissible malaria parasites, and a scalable and safe method for evaluating TBV efficacy. DSF offers several advantages including close mimicry of naturally occurring transmission, simplicity of performance and standardisation, and scalable throughput to support late-stage vaccine trials. While parasite transmission rates measured by DSF were low overall at study sites in Mali, sufficient transmission endpoints are generated to assess efficacy of interventions that interrupt transmission, supporting the DSF bioassay as a surrogate efficacy endpoint for TBV studies.

Indexed as

AnophelesBiological AssayMalariaMosquito VectorsAdolescentAdultAnimalsChildChild, PreschoolFeeding BehaviorFemaleHumansMaleMaliMiddle AgedYoung AdultDirect skin feeding bioassayMalariaMosquitoesTransmissionTransmission-blocking vaccines

Identifiers

PMID41639721
PMCPMC12964775

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