The Malaria Parasite Plasmodium and the Epidemiology of the Disease
Abstract
For ages malaria has affected mankind in almost all parts of the world. It has left a deep imprint on people who have been affected with the disease, and even today in countries where epidemics are common, malaria is a constant threat to people's daily lives. Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium (phylum Apicomplexa), and there are four species in the genus that cause the disease in humans. Their primary hosts and transmission vectors are female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles; humans act as intermediate hosts. Places near the equator with a warm, subtropical climate are most susceptible to malaria endemics. More than half of the cases of malaria occur in sub-Saharan Africa. It was only recently that developments have been made to research the eradication of the disease on a global scale.
Malaria, Italian for ?bad air?, is an infectious disease which for nearly 4,000 years has terrorized mankind in many parts of the world. It has greatly influenced human populations and human history, and even today, malaria is a leading cause of disease and death in the world with over one million deaths every year (Sherman 91). This means that every 30 seconds, a person dies from malaria. Unfortunately, the general public knows only little about the disease, which is one of the key reasons as to why so many people suffer from malaria. However, since the turn of the 20th century, a great deal of knowledge has been uncovered by microbiologists about this merciless killer.
The biology behind malaria is extremely complex. As opposed to popular belief, malaria is actually a family of four different diseases caused by four different parasi...
... middle of paper ...
...y
1. Day, Nancy. Malaria, West Nile, and other Mosquito-Borne Diseases. London:
Enslow Publishers, 2001.
2. Desowitz, Robert S. The Malaria Capers: More Tales of People, Research, and
Reality. Greenwich: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.
3. Doolan, Denise L. Malaria Methods and Protocols. Denver: Humana Press, 2002.
4. ?Malaria.? 19 June 2006. Wikipedia. 18 Jul. 2006 .
5. ?Malaria Information.? 30 May 2005. Centers for Disease Control. DDT. 18 Jul 2006 .
6. Roberts, Roger. The Green Killing Fields; the Need for DDT to Defeat Malaria and Reemerging Diseases. AEI Press, 2006.
7. Sherman, Irwin W. Molecular Approaches to Malaria. New York: ASM Press, 2005.
8. The Malaria Eradication Project. Ed. Maya Winifred. May 2000. Indiana University. 22 Jul 2006 .
8
What kills more than two thousand children a day could potentially spread around the world. All of the most effective drugs used on this disease in the last evades have gradually been rendered useless by its ability to evolve and develop. It is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are spread to people through the bites of infected Mosquitos. The most deadly of this disease lies in Cambodia. This deadly and drug-resistant disease is malaria. The story of drug-resistant malaria in Cambodia is significant because people in other countries could be affected and must be aware of the fact that it is becoming immune to the most powerful drugs used to fight it.
Packard, Randall M. The Making of a Tropical Disease: A Short History of Malaria. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP, 2007. Print.
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.
On average there are around 300-500 million people who become infected with malaria every year, with most of the cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. (in text refernce). Other areas which are affected by malaria include- Asia, Latin America and some parts of Europe.
For several years, I have had an interest in virology and the spread and characteristics of various infectious diseases. Though it makes sense not to possibly induce a state of panic by informing individuals of illnesses that are not native to the area they live in and that they are not likely to contract, I have always liked to remain informed out of my own curiosity and interest. Thus, I have decided to write about malaria.
Malaria is a common disease in a hot tropical area and it affects about 300 million people worldwide. There are four types of parasites that cause malaria in humans. Among the types of species Plasmodium falciparum is most common in Africa region and it can cause deadly form of disease. The Plasmodium vivax which is the second type of species is not life-threatening form of malaria. Plasmodium ovale also causes malaria. The system malaria affect most is the immune system. Malaria undergoes a complex life cycle, which involves two separate asexual reproductive stages in the vertebrate host which include humans and sexual reproduction as well as multiplication in the insect vector of all human.
The link between malaria and its causes has not been clearly defined, yet can largely be inferred based on the information in the colonial reports. Most colonial sources claim that rainfall is solely responsible for and directly correlated to the intensity of a Malaria outbreak in any given year. However, it becomes clear even throug...
Malaria is among one of the most prevalent diseases attacking and showing little to no mercy to those who fall victim. This life threatening disease is spread from person to person, proving to be the most challenging especially amongst underdeveloped countries. However, it is one of the largest diseases worldwide. Plasmodium falciparum is a protozoan parasite amongst one of the species of Plasmodium that causes malaria in humans. This lethal infectious disease is transmitted by a parasitic infection spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Pregnant women infected by Malaria undergo various other health complications such as inheriting low birthweight is estimated to result in 100,000 infant deaths in Africa. Anemia,
Malaria is a disease that is in the blood; it comes from the plasmodium parasite. Malaria is carried from a mosquito to person then it spreads from person to person. (Kar,N) There are over a hundred species with malaria parasite that are highly populated in Africa these parasites are called Plasmodium falciparum. (Kar,N) when a parasite gets into a humans system it finds its way in the liver where it creates approximately ten thousand more. (Kar,N) Female mosquitos transmit malaria. (Kar,N) Two weeks in the body parasite move into the blood stream where it starts messing up the red blood cells. (Kar,N) It usually takes 10 days to four weeks after
Malaria is a disease that is caused by parasites. It is transferred from one person to another by the infected female Anopheles mosquito. Malaria has been a serious health problem nowadays. WHO has provided the information that approximately 660,000 people died from malaria globally during 2010. Also, after estimating, there are 219 million cases of malaria infection in 2010 worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, being one the country that has the high rate of HIV, AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, had 90% of the people that...
There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of them (P. falciparum and P. vivax) pose a deadly threat.
Malaria is a serious, infectious disease spread by certain mosquitoes. It is caused by infection with the Plasmodium genus of the protozoan parasite. More than one hundred species of this parasite exist. It is capable of infecting reptiles, birds, rodents, and primates. Four species infect human beings, the most common being P.vivax and P. falciparum.
To the majority of the population in the United States, malaria feels more like a myth than a threat. Vaccinations and medicine targeting the disease are reserved for the venturesome travelers who dare to enter malaria-endemic regions. Unfortunately, for 3.2 billion people across 106 countries and territories--malaria is a very real threat, and often times fatal. Typically, malaria is found in warmer regions around the equator. However, some areas are hit harder than most. Of the 214 million clinical cases of malaria and 438,000 deaths from the disease in 2015, 88% of the cases and 90% of the deaths were from Sub-Saharan Africa. Much of these deaths could have been easily preventable with modern medicine; but unfortunately, most of those who
Malaria is a dreadful disease with no known cure. According to Mayo Clinic, ¨Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes¨. Malaria is highly contagious especially in areas where the virus can live; (warm tropical climates). Malaria is mostly in poor tropical climates, which makes Africa extremely vulnerable, causing Africans to be at high risk of death and loss of money.
Malaria in humans is caused by four species of protozoa, sophisticated one-celled organisms, that can infect red blood cells. These four species are called Plasmodium falciparum, plasmodium vivax, plasmodium malariae, and plasmodium ovale. The worst cases are caused by the Plasmodium falciparum species, which is also the species with the most resistance to drugs. To contract malaria, a mosquito, but not just any mosquito must bite a human. The only type of mosquito that can infect humans with the malaria virus is the Anopheles mosquito. While there are...