How does mosquito act as a vector of malaria?

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infection caused by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. Female Anopheles Mosquitoes are the definitive host for malarial parasites, the parasites are not transferred between mosquitoes. In order to complete their life cycle the parasites require a vertebrate intermediate host. read more

(In malaria, the actual fertilization of the infective Plasmodium sporozoite takes place within the mosquito.) * In the special case of the human botfly, the mosquito has been seized by an egg-laying fly, which plants its eggs on the mosquito, and the mosquito (unharmed) carries the eggs of the fly to new human hosts. read more

The mosquito has been described as the most dangerous animal in the world and the mosquito-borne disease with the greatest detrimental impact is undoubtedly malaria. There are about 3,500 mosquito species and those that transmit malaria all belong to a sub-set called the Anopheles. read more