The History Of Plasmodium Falciparum

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James Gillett
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Plasmodium Falciparum
Plasmodium Falciparum is the causative parasite of malignant malaria, it is the most deadly strain of the malaria viruses. P. Falciparum is a eukaryotic protozoan parasite that is spread through vector transmission using mosquitoes. The Anopheles mosquito family accounts for the majority of transmission because of their tendency to target humans (WHO, 2014). Malaria accounts for approximately five hundred thousand deaths each year in environments such as sub-Saharan Africa and other temperate areas where the life cycle of the mosquito is longer allowing the parasite to develop properly (WHO, 2014). Malaria usually infects children in these areas but also commonly spreads to travellers to these areas.
P.Falciparum has a complicated life cycle in which it needs to grow in both a mosquito host and a human host. While in the mosquito the parasite lives in sporozite stage and is injected into the human host through mosquito bites (Granham, 1966). The parasite then travels to the liver through the blood stream and begins to infect liver cells. By shedding their apical surface coat the sporozites recognize sugar antigens and enter into the hepatocytes (liver cells) and become trophozites, which continue to replicate inside the hepatocytes (Florens, 2002). Once this replication is completed and the parasite has matured into a merozoite it is able to leave the hepatocyte and go back into the bloodstream. These cells are now unable to infect hepatocytes and upon being released back to the bloodstream will infect erythrocytes. By hiding inside liver and blood cells the parasite is able to replicate without being attacked by the bodies immune system. P. Falciparum is able to attach to an erythr...

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