Avian malaria parasites are widespread in wild bird populations, and co-infections with multiple Plasmodium lineages are common. However, while parasite interactions have been extensively studied within vertebrate hosts, much less is known about how co-infecting parasites interact during their development within mosquito vectors.
My PhD research investigates how co-infections with avian malaria parasites influence parasite development, transmission and population structure within Culex pipiens mosquitoes. The study will experimentally examine co-infections involving locally transmitted and African Plasmodium lineages, with particular focus on their sporogonic development and interactions within the mosquito vector.
The research will investigate whether co-infecting parasites compete, coexist or facilitate each other’s development, and whether these interactions influence their ability to reach the mosquito’s salivary glands and be transmitted simultaneously during a single mosquito bite. It will also examine changes in parasite multiclonality and population structure during development within the vector.
Using an experimental avian malaria–mosquito–bird system together with molecular approaches including qPCR, single-cell PCR, laser microdissection microscopy, RNA sequencing and SNP analysis, this research aims to improve our understanding of parasite–vector interactions and the mechanisms shaping avian malaria transmission and disease ecology.