Abstract
MOSQUITOES need a certain amount of moisture in the atmosphere in which they live. From the investigations of earlier workers1, we find that changes in the humidity influence the longevity of the insect host and consequently that of the parasite within ; low, as well as very high, humidities are detrimental. But if a mosquito is infected with the malaria parasite (Plasmodium), the size of the oocysts is not influenced by atmospheric humidity. As to the number of oocysts, according to Gill's work, this is not influenced either. In the work done here, Aedes ægypti were fed on chicks infected with Plasmodium gallinaceum, and the speed and degree of development of oocysts in the mosquito under various climatic conditions were studied.
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References
Gill, C. A. Trans. Roy. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg., 14, 77 (1921). Huff, C. G., Amer. J. Hyg., 34, 18 (1941). Mayne, B., Ind. J. Med. Res., 17, 1119 (1930). Mehta, D. R., Rec. Mal. Surv. Ind., 4, 261 (1934).
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RAGAB, H. Effect of Humidities and Temperatures on the Size and Number of Oocysts of Plasmodium gallinaceum Transmitted by a Mosquito. Nature 163, 643–644 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/163643b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/163643b0
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