Table 1.

Preferential invasion of P. gallinaceum ookinetes to less basic cells in A. aegypti midgut epithelium

	Experiment 1			Experiment 2			Experiment 3			Total
	Cells invaded	Cells counted	% invaded	Cells invaded	Cells counted	% invaded	Cells invaded	Cells counted	% invaded	Cells invaded	Cells counted	% invaded
Light*	117	813	14.4	91	945	9.7	132	1064	12.4	340	2822	12.0
Dark†	22	4608	0.5	23	3168	0.7	14	5196	0.3	59	12972	0.4
Total	139	5421	2.6	114	4113	2.8	146	6260	2.3	399	15794	2.5
χ2		529.9‡			214.1			565.8			1260.4
P		<0.0001			<0.0001			<0.0001			<0.0001

Serial sections of ookinete-exposed midgut epithelium stained with toluidine blue were examined with light microscope, and the number of cells (total and invaded) and staining pattern of each cell was recorded. Each experiment was performed independently with different batches of mosquitoes and parasites. 

^*Cells with light purple or no staining with toluidine blue (Fig. 1) were recorded as light cells. 

^†Cells with dark purple or dark blue staining were recorded as dark cells. 

^‡Chi-square test was performed on 2 × 2 contingency table (light/dark vs. invaded/uninvaded). The χ² values were calculated with Yates correction for continuity; degree of freedom = 1.