Are mosquitoes the only vectors that carry malaria?

Yes. The parasite that causes malaria, Plasmodium, requires a mosquito's gut to reproduce. In fact, only some mosquitoes will do—the Anopheles genus. (At least for the human version; Aedes and Culex mosquitoes can transmit related parasites to birds and reptiles.). read more

Malaria is transmitted among humans by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Female mosquitoes take blood meals to carry out egg production, and such blood meals are the link between the human and the mosquito hosts in the parasite life cycle. read more

A: Only certain species of mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus—and only females of those species—can transmit malaria. Malaria is caused by a one-celled parasite called a Plasmodium. Female Anopheles mosquitoes pick up the parasite from infected people when they bite to obtain blood needed to nurture their eggs. read more