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Malaria
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Malaria is an infection caused by a parasite and transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. It is an acute illness, meaning it sets in quickly, and it can be life threatening.
The parasite goes through two stages. Less than an hour after the bite, the forms that entered the body, called sporozoites, reach the liver and invade the hepatocytes, which are the liver cells. There they divide and form merozoites, which in an active infection head back out into the blood. And that is where the second stage begins: the merozoites invade the erythrocytes, the red blood cells.
Inside the red blood cell the parasite feeds on hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen, and matures into a schizont. When it reaches that point it ruptures the red blood cell membrane. The parasite uses the red blood cell as both pantry and hiding place, until it bursts the cell from the inside.
In brief
Malaria is an acute, potentially fatal parasitic infection transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito.
In less than an hour sporozoites reach the liver, invade hepatocytes, and form merozoites that, in an active infection, return to the blood and invade erythrocytes.
Inside the erythrocyte the parasite consumes hemoglobin and matures into a schizont that ruptures the red cell membrane.
The parasite uses the red blood cell as both pantry and hiding place, until it bursts the cell from the inside.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingMalaria, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated