malaria
Introduction
Plasmodium falciparum is the most deadly of all the five Plasmodium parasites that typically cause malaria in humans. All the species require both the Anopheles mosquito and humans to complete the life cycle. Sexual reproduction of the protozoans occurs in the mosquito; an immature form is then transmitted to the human via the bite of the mosquito. In a person the parasite goes to the liver, replicates, and moves into the bloodstream, where it attacks red blood cells for their hemoglobin. Some of the plasmodia become sexually mature and are transmitted back to another biting mosquito. P. knowlesi, however, is primarily transmitted from monkeys to humans via mosquitoes.
Sections in this article:
- Introduction
- Symptoms
- Immune Response
- Treatment and Control
- Bibliography
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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