Introduction
Malaria, a vector borne parasitic disease is caused by protozoa in the genus Plasmodium and
affects 198 million cases and leads to an estimated 584,000 deaths worldwide in 2013 [1].
Among different anopheline vectors, Anopheles culicifacies is the most abundant rural vector of
malaria in South East Asian region including India, where it contributes for about 70% of
malarial cases [2–3]. For malaria transmission, various Plasmodium species are injected into
the human host typically via the bites of female Anopheles mosquito. In order to transmit
malaria, at least two bites are required by the mosquito, one for acquiring the parasite infection
and other for the transmission of malaria parasites to a new human host [4].