Haemosporidian vector research: marriage of molecular and microscopical approaches is essential

Many species of malaria and related haemosporidian parasites (Haemosporida) are responsible for diseases in wild and domestic animals. These pathogens are exclusively transmitted by blood-sucking dipteran insects (Diptera). Traditional vector studies, which are based mainly on experimental infection and subsequent dissection of insects, are time-consuming, so progress in the identification of the vectors has been slow. Since the discovery of haemosporidians in wildlife by V. Danilewsky in 1884, it took over 70 years to determine the main vector groups of these parasites. However, precise vector-parasite relationships remain insufficiently investigated in wildlife, particularly at the species level of haemosporidians and their vectors. Molecular tools have provided innovative opportunities to speed such research. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Martinez-de la Puente et al. (2011) collected, for the first time, a significant PCR-based set of data on the presence of lineages of the pigment-forming haemosporidians (species of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) in biting midges (Culicoides). They identified numerous associations between Culicoides spp. and Haemoproteus spp., indicating directions for future targeting vector studies of haemoproteids.