Maintaining Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte infectivity during blood collection and transport for mosquito feeding assays in the field.

This study determines the optimal long-term (4 h) storage temperature for gametocyte infected blood and the external environment temperature range within which gametocyte infectivity is unaffected. This will improve the accuracy, reproducibility, and utility of DMFAs in the field, and permit reliable comparative assessments of malaria transmission epidemiology in different settings.