Table 6. Outstanding questions.

Gametocyte	Are there differences in gametocyte concentration or infectiousness between different blood compartments (e.g. microvasculature versus vein)?
	The following tools are desirable to answer these questions:
	1. reliable gametocyte quantification in the mosquito blood meal
	2. markers of gametocyte infectiousness
	3. sensitive tools to determine gametocyte sex-ratios
Mosquito vector	Does the variable permissibility of mosquito vectors for infection affect the outcomes of mosquito feeding assays?
	How do mosquito fitness factors influence the outcomes of mosquito feeding assays?
	Can gametocyte density influence mosquito survival rates?
Feeding assay	Can quality control measures be included in feeding assays conducted under field conditions?
	Can the serum replacement procedure be optimised to minimize/prevent a loss in gametocyte infectiousness?
	The following tools are desirable for this purpose:
	1. a standardized protocol across field sites
	2. a positive control for mosquito feeding experiments in the field
	3. a high throughput system to sensitively detect oocysts in individual or pooled mosquitoes