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Experimental whole-parasite immunization through concurrent administration of infectious Plasmodium sporozoites with drugs that prevent pathogenic blood-stage infection represents the current benchmark in malaria vaccine development. Key questions concerning translation remain, including the requirement for single-dose drug regimens that can reliably prevent breakthrough infections. We assessed the feasibility and efficacy of immunization with single-dose piperaquine chemoprophylaxis and concurrent sporozoite administration (PPQ-CPS) in the murine P. berghei ANKA/C57BL/6 infection model. We demonstrate that PPQ-CPS is protective with an efficacy comparable to previous findings using whole-parasite immunization under chloroquine chemoprophylaxis. PPQ-CPS immunization resulted in an expansion of intrahepatic and intrasplenic effector memory CD8(+) T cells. In summary, PPQ-CPS appears to be a safe and efficacious immunization regimen in the rodent malaria model and may thus become an important improvement regarding the translation of whole-parasite immunization toward a human malaria vaccine., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The interplay between vector and pathogen is essential for vector-borne disease transmission. Dissecting the molecular basis of refractoriness of some vectors may pave the way to novel disease control mechanisms. A pathogen often needs to overcome several physical barriers, such as the peritrophic matrix, midgut epithelium and salivary glands. Additionally, the arthropod vector elicites immune responses that can severely limit transmission success. One important step in the transmission of most vector-borne diseases is the entry of the disease agent into the salivary glands of its arthropod vector. The salivary glands of blood-feeding arthropods produce a complex mixture of molecules that facilitate blood feeding by inhibition of the host haemostasis, inflammation and immune reactions. Pathogen entry into salivary glands is a receptor-mediated process, which requires molecules on the surface of the pathogen and salivary gland. In most cases, the nature of these molecules remains unknown. Recent advances in our understanding of malaria parasite entry into mosquito salivary glands strongly suggests that specific carbohydrate molecules on the salivary gland surface function as docking receptors for malaria parasites., (Copyright (c) 2010 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)