Re-infection of the mosquito
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Infection of the mosquito
When a mosquito feeds from a malaria infected hosts, the blood meal will contain parasites of all formas, but importantly including male and female gametocytes. The pH and temperature changes with the mosquito stomach cause the gametocytes to gain full sexual maturity (gemtogenesis). The male undergoes 3 cycles of division to generate 8 male sexual forms (gametes). These then 8 gamaetes then "break out" of the male gametocytes (the microgametocyte) in a process known as exflagellation and fuse with the female gamete to move to the next stage of development with the mosquito gut wall, before finally entering the salivary glands of the mosquito where a new infection can be initiated.