What Causes Malaria?
Humans develop malaria when infected with one of the four protazoan parasites from the genus Plasmodium. The four species include:
- Plasmodium falciparum
- Plasmodium vivax
- Plasmodium ovale
- Plasmodium malaria
Transmission of malaria is affected by climate and geography, and often coincides with the rainy season. We become infected with the parasite from anopheline mosquitos. The malaria protazoa develops in the gut of the mosquito and is passed to humans in the saliva of the insect as it draws a person's blood. The parasite travels to the liver of the human through the blood stream. Here, the Plasmodium multiplies. After 9-16 days, the protazoa return to the blood supply, where they penetrate red blood cells. The parasite then causes red blood cells to break down.
Source: http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/224/Malaria.html
Common symptoms of malaria are fever, shivering, pain in the joints, headache, vomiting, and anemia. The disease can be diagnosed by a microscopic examination of the patient's blood and can normally be cured by taking animalarial drugs. However, there are some regions that parasites have developed resistance to these drugs. Over time, humans also develop immunity to the parasite, but children are very vulnerable until they develop this immunity.
Photo 3: Mosquito sucking human's blood. During this process, the Plasmodium parasite can be transferred. For source, please see references page.
Photo 4: Parasitized red blood cells. For source, please see references page.
Photo 5: Microscopic examination of blood. For source, please see references page.
For more information e-mail the author at rebergner@davidson.edu