Currently used protocols for the extraction of filarial parasite DNA from mosquito samples are tedious and involve extensive use of expensive and hazardous chemicals. Therefore, in order to arrive at a simple procedure, four different methods (A, B, C and D) were tried for the extraction of DNA from mosquitoes infected with filarial parasite, Brugia malayi. Method D was found to be as efficient as the current procedure for the extraction of DNA from a single microfilaria in pools of 25 mosquitoes and the DNA was suitable for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, yielding a band of 322 base pairs with primers specific for B. malayi. Method D involved drying and crushing the mosquitoes to a powder, which was homogenized in 100 microl TE buffer, vortexed, boiled for 10 min, centrifuged at 14000 r.p.m. for 10 min, and the supernatant used for the PCR assay. Dot-blot hybridization confirmed the specificity of the PCR amplified fragment. The DNA extracted by this method was stable for about 1 year. When comparing with the standard method, the cost of a single PCR reaction, inclusive of DNA extraction, was reduced by 50% and the hands on time was minimized fivefold. Hence, this simple TE-based method is rapid, safe and also cost-effective in assessing the B. malayi infection in pools of vector mosquitoes.