Transgenic Plasmodium berghei sporozoites expressing β-galactosidase for quantification of sporozoite transmission

Malaria transmission occurs during a blood-meal of an infected Anopheles mosquito. Visualization and quantification of sporozoites along the journey from the mosquito midgut, where they develop, to the vertebrate liver, their final target organ, is important for understanding many aspects of sporozoite biology. Here we describe the generation of Plasmodium berghei parasites that express the reporter gene lacZ as a stable transgene, under the control of the sporozoite-specific CSP promoter. Transgenic sporozoites expressing β-galactosidase can be simply visualized and quantified in an enzymatic assay. In addition, these sporozoites can be used to quantify sporozoites deposited in subcutaneous tissue during natural infection.