Malaria is a serious infection that has been a major problem for humanity since the earliest times. According to Sato (2021), it is caused by a parasitic protozoan genus known as Plasmodium, which belongs to the apicomplexan subclass Coccidia. Plasmodium is found all around the world and most often in tropical and subtropical climate zones (Sato, 2021). Plasmodium is transmitted through bites of females of Anopheles mosquitoes, however, other insects can also transmit forms of the disease to animals.
The life cycle of the malaria parasite includes two hosts. According to Sato (2021), when the bite occurs, an Anopheles mosquito infected with malaria infuses sporozoites into a human. These sporozoites affect liver cells and transform into schizonts that burst and release merozoites. After this primary replication, parasites go through asexual reproduction in the erythrocytes; however, some of them differentiate into gametocytes. These gametocytes are consumed by an Anopheles mosquito when the bite occurs. The reproduction of parasites in mosquitoes is called the sporogonic cycle. In the stomach of a mosquito, the penetration of macrogametes by microgametes leads to the generation of zygotes. In their turn, zygotes invade a mosquito’s midgut wall and turn into oocysts there. The sporozoites that these oocysts release oocysts find a way into the salivary glands of a mosquito. The sporozoite inoculation into a human preserves the life cycle of malaria.
When it comes to treating malaria, it is usually done with prescription drugs that are aimed at killing the parasite. The type of a drug and the length of the treatment depend on individual differences of a patient. Understanding Plasmodium and how malaria occurs is important for any healthcare provider since one’s knowledge about it might help provide relevant care and save an infected patient’s life.
Reference
Sato, S. (2021). Plasmodium—a brief introduction to the parasites causing human malaria and their basic biology. Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 40(1), 1-13. Web.