Fecundity of Anopheles tessellatus reduced by the ingestion of murine anti-mosquito antibodies

Abstract. High titres of antibodies to antigens derived from head/thorax, midgut or abdomen of Anopheles tessellatus were produced in inbred mice. These antibodies, when ingested in a bloodmeal, reduced the fecundity of An.tessellatus by up to 29% in different experiments. It is postulated that antibodies directed against antigens shared between the head/thorax, abdomen and midgut tissues are involved in the reduction of fecundity.