An overview of malaria transmission from the perspective of Amazon Anopheles vectors

In the Americas, areas with a high risk of malaria transmission are mainly located inthe Amazon Forest, which extends across nine countries. One keystone step tounderstanding the Plasmodium life cycle in Anopheles species from the Amazon Regionis to obtain experimentally infected mosquito vectors. Several attempts to coloniseAno- pheles species have been conducted, but with only short-lived success or nosuccess at all. In this review, we review the literature on malaria transmission fromthe perspective of its Amazon vectors. Currently, it is possible to developexperimental Plasmodium vivax infection of the colonised and field-captured vectorsin laboratories located close to Amazonian endemic areas. We are also reviewingstudies related to the immune response to P. vivax infection of Anopheles aquasalis,a coastal mosquito species. Finally, we discuss the importance of the modulation ofPlasmodium infection by the vector microbiota and also consider the anophelinegenomes. The establishment of experimental mosquito infections with Plasmodiumfalciparum, Plasmodium yoelii and Plasmodium berghei parasites that could provideinteresting models for studying malaria in the Amazonian scenario is important.Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of the parasitesin New World vectors is crucial in order to better determine the interaction processand vectorial competence.