Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) host compatibility and vector competency for the human myositic parasite Trachipleistophora hominis (Phylum microspora)

Microsporidian spores of Trachipleistophora hominis Hollister, isolated from a human, readily infected larval stages of both Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say sensu lato and Culex quinque-fasciatus Say. Mosquito infections with T. hominis were located, primarily, in abdominal muscles in segment numbers 4 through 6; other spores were found in the hemocoel and proboscis. Nearly 50% of the infected mosquito larvae survived to the adult stage. Spores recovered from adult mosquitoes were inoculated into mice and resulted in significant muscle infection at the site of injection. Preliminary observations also showed that T. hominis spores can be passively transferred from infected mosquitoes to a sugar water substrate.