Plasmodium Falciparum Essay

Plasmodium falciparum: The Causative Agent of Malaria

Introduction

The protozoan Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for causing 500 million cases of malaria per year as well as 100-200 million deaths per year worldwide (Kuby, p438). The majority of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, especially among malnourished children. Malaria is endemic in 92 countries, where 40% of the world’s population is at risk of the disease (WHO). Documentation of malaria occurs as far back as 4000BC, with mentions of the disease on clay tablets. The name of the disease originates from the late 1800’s and is derived from ‘mal aria,’ meaning bad air. There are four members of Plasmodium that cause malaria along with P. falciparum, with P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae (Schaechter, p450). P. falciparum is considered the most important as it is by far the most deadly species. The primary vector of P. falciparum is the female anopheline mosquito, which uses humans as a host for blood meals. The male anopheline

falciparum that need to be resolved. Drug resistance to choloroquine, formerly the most ubiquitous and useful anti-malarial drug, is bestowed upon P. falciparum by a pfcrt mutation in the greater parts of Africa (Sidhue et at, 2002), and resistance to other drugs is increasing. Vaccines have generally proven ineffective or unreasonable, due to the ability of P. falciparum to ‘hide’ its surface antigens. Recently, 90% of patients immunized with irradiated sporozoites were protected against infection for ten months, however, protection was not conferred beyond that, and the great difficulty in culturing sporozoites makes this an unreasonable vaccine (Kuby, p440). The disease has been described as dealing out "the greatest harm to the greatest number (Schaechter, p449)," and its impact on the world has yet to be repelled by modern medicine. New drugs, and effective vaccines must be created, as well as new means of mosquito