High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Xanthurenic acid is a chemical shown to induce gametogenesis of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria. It is found in the gut of the Anopheles mosquito. Xanthurenic acid is a metabolic intermediate that accumulates and is excreted by pyridoxine (vitamin B6) deficient animals after the ingestion of tryptophan. Gametogenesis is a process by which diploid or haploid precursor cells undergo cell division and differentiation to form mature haploid gametes.