Loss of infectivity of <i>puf2(-)</i> sporozoites in C57BL/6 mice.

aThe number of midgut oocysts and salivary gland sporozoites was determined at d10–14 and d18–25, respectively, after the infectious blood meal, from at least three independent feeding experiments. bC57BL/6 mice were exposed to the bites of 10 infected mosquitoes or injected intravenously (i.v.) with 1,000 sporozoites, 18–25 days after mosquito infection. cThe prepatent period is defined as the number of days after sporozoite inoculation until detection of infected erythrocytes by microscopic blood smear examination. Brackets indicate that not all animals became infected. NA, not applicable. dp<0.05 in comparison to WT, as determined by Kruskal-Wallis followed by Dunn's test.