Response of the mosquito vector, Culex pipiens to Manzamine-Aas infection barrier against Wuchereria bancroftifilaria.

Culex pipiensmosquitoes thrive in temperate and tropical areas and serve as efficient vectors of Wuchereria bancrofti the causativeagent of Bancroftian lymphatic filariasis. The antifilarial effect of Manzamine-A, oneof unique alkaloid groups isolated from indo-pacific sponges was evaluated by exposing the mosquito vectors that were treated with this drug to human individual infected with W.bancrofti as well as untreated mosquitoes. After the extrinsic incubation period of the nematode parasites, random samples of the fed mosquitoes were dissected to determine the infection rate. The survival rate of mosquitoes infected with microfilaria (mf) was calculated for both treated and control group. In addition, another group of mosquitoes were examined ultrastructurally to compare between the microfilarial course in both treated and untreated mosquitoes. Analysis of results indicated that Manzamine-A reduced the infection rate and the mf in the infected once didn't penetrate the mosquito midgut to reach the thoracic muscles, the site from which the filarial larval stagesdevelops and moves to the head to be transmitted to the next host during a subsequent blood meal.