Table 1 Summary description of the experiments

Experiment 1: Effects of irradiation on An. arabiensis competence for P. falciparum

7 dpbm

A (64); C (160); D (88); E (32); G (48); H (56); I (48); J (32)

Oocyst prevalence: the number of mosquitoes harboring at least one oocyst in their midguts out of the total number of dissected mosquitoes

47.9 ± 4.9 (50.0) [21–71]

(n = 383)

47.3 ± 4.9 (51.0) [23–66]

(n = 378)

Oocyst intensity: the mean number of oocysts in infected mosquitoes

19.0 ± 2.7 (19.5) [5–31]

(n = 180)

22.5 ± 3.22 (20.0) [13–37]

(n = 152)

14 dpbm

E (32); H (56); I (48); J (32); K (72); L (168); M (32); N (136); O (96); P (96)

Sporozoite prevalence: the number of mosquito head/thorax detected positive to P. falciparum using qPCR out of the total number of dissected heads/thoraces

47.3 ± 3.7 (50.0) [17–55]

(n = 473)

48.9 ± 4.35 (48.5) [27–78]

(n = 489)

Sporozoite intensity: the mean number of amplification cycle during qPCR (the lower the Cq, the higher the sporozoite intensity)

25.7 ± 2.7 (26.0) [9–38]

(n = 257)

24.8 ± 4.7 (23.5) [7–59]

(n = 248)

Experiment 2: Effects of irradiation on An. arabiensis survival

1–7 dpbm

A (64); C (160); D (88); G (48)

From 1 to 7 dpbm, the number and time of death was recorded among mosquitoes exposed to the infectious blood meal

41.3 ± 11.0 (35.5) [22–72]

(n = 165)

42.0 ± 8.7 (41.5) [24–61]

(n = 168)

1–14 dpbm

E (32); H (56); I (48); J (32); K (72); L (168); M (32); N (136); O (96); P (96)

From 1 to 14 dpbm, the number and time of death was recorded among mosquitoes exposed to the infectious blood meal

88.0 ± 9.9 (85.5) [31–146]

(n = 880)

80.3 ± 11.9 (62.5) [41–137]

(n = 803)

1–35 dpbm

J (32)

From 1 dpbm until all mosquitoes had died (35 dpbm), the number and time of death was recorded among both infected mosquitoes and uninfected control mosquitoes

Infected: 26

Infected: 14

Uninfected: 49

Uninfected: 45