The application of the powerful tools of genetics, molecular and cellular biology to studies on mosquito vectors and Plasmodium parasites provided, in the last ten years, significant advances in the understanding of the interactions between malaria parasites and anopheline hosts. Sophisticated molecular tools that allow for the genetic transformation of both Plasmodium and mosquito species, for the genetic and physical mapping of the Anopheles gambiae genome and for population genetic studies have been developed. We summarize here some of the most recent and interesting achievements in the attempt to provide a synthetic but comprehensive overview of the vivid and rapidly growing field of the malaria-linked molecular entomology and parasitology. Additionally, we briefly mention a molecular study on the salivary glands of An. gambiae that has been recently initiated in our laboratory and is focused on the identification of secreted factors and potential sporozoite receptors. We believe that these studies will allow for a deeper understanding of Plasmodium-Anopheles-human host interactions that will certainly result, in the near future, in the development of novel strategies for a better prevention and control of malaria
