Table 1.

Effect of recombinant mutated phospholipase A₂ (mPLA₂) or commercial bee venom PLA₂ on Plasmodium gallinaceum oocyst formation^†

Exp.	Samples	Infection prevalence‡	Oocyst number (range)	Mean oocyst number	Inhibition§
1	Buffer	74% (20/27)	(0–122)	32.4	–
	mPLA2	67% (12/28)	(0–72)	10.7	70%*
	PLA2	40% (8/20)	(0–21)	2.8	91%**
2	Buffer	90% (18/20)	(0–120)	21.3	–
	mPLA2	40% (8/20)	(0–34)	4.5	76.8%*
	PLA2	15% (3/20)	(0–2)	0.2	93%**
3	Buffer	70% (17/27)	(0–277)	33.7	–
	mPLA2	33% (8/24)	(0–45)	6.6	80.4%*
	PLA2	25% (6/24)	(0–5)	0.4	98.8%**

^†Infected blood was mixed with recombinant mPLA₂ or commercial PLA₂ (0.1 μmol/l) or buffer alone (100 mM NaH₂PO₄, 10 mM Tris, 0.5 M urea, pH 6.9) prior to feeding. The midguts were dissected 7 days after the bloodmeal and checked for oocysts in order to measure prevalence and parasite intensity. Mean oocyst number was significantly different from mosquitoes fed on buffer, according to Mann–Whitney U test (*P < 0.05) (**P < 0.01). Data are from three independent experiments.

^‡Percentage of infected mosquitoes (number of infected mosquitoes/total number of mosquitoes).

^§100 – [(mean oocyst number per midgut in experimental mosquitoes/mean oocyst number per midgut in control mosquitoes) × 100].