Periodic infectivity of Plasmodium gametocytes to the vector. A review

Frank Hawking, in 1966 postulated that in synchronous malaria infections, t he brief period of infectivity of gametocytes was timed to occur when the v ector bites. Since this early work, numerous studies had contributed to con firm and explain this phenomenon with bird, rodent and primate Plasmodium. Date on the periodic production of gametocytes, the duration of their matur ation, the effect of the schizogony on the infectivity and the circadian bi oavailability of gametocytes provide some more informations on the periodic Plasmodium gametocyte infectivity to the vector. This paper is intended to be a review of contributions on the "Hawking phenomenon" and to summarize the principal causal hypotheses. The conclusion stresses the practical cons equences for experimental studies and epidemiological surveys.