Plasmodium is a small single celled organism responsible for malaria. Plasmodium is a large genus that has several species, but only a few cause disease in humans. Plasmodium is spread through a vector. The vector for the organism is a species of mosquito called Anopheles. These mosquitoes infect humans when they feed on blood. There are two stages of the Plasmodium life cycle and each of these are important for infection and spread of the disease.
Asexual Replication
Infection occurs in humans after being bitten by a mosquito. Within the mosquito, sporozoites are formed. Sporozoites are transferred into the blood of a human host where it remains in the blood for approximately 40 minutes. After this time has passed, the sporozoites travel to the liver where they remain dormant. Once the sporozoites leave the liver, they enter red blood cells. This is the site of asexual replication. The sporozoites replicate rapidly causing the red blood cell to burst. This releases merozoites into the blood stream, which later form gametocytes. The rapid bursting of the blood cells causes anemia in humans, which is life-threatening if not treated.
Sexual Replication
Once a human is infected and gametocytes circulate the blood, the next mosquito to bite the person can become infected by Plasmodium. Male and female gametocytes merge and sexually produce an oocyte, which is the basis for new sporozoites to form. The sporozoites travel to the saliva of the mosquito where the cycle is able to continue.
Symptoms
People infected with Plasmodium have several symptoms. The most common is a high fever followed by chills from the anemia. The patient will notice that the symptoms come and go every several days. This corresponds with the Plasmodium life cycle in the host. If the disease is able to continue, the patient may have severe anemia and oxygen deficiency to tissue, which is called hypoxia. If the organism reaches the brain, the patient may feel drowsiness, confusion and even go into a coma.
Treatment
The treatment for malaria is required to rid the body of the organism and reduce the damage to blood cells. A common treatment used on malaria patients is Primaquine. This drug destroys the blood circulating microbes and the organisms dormant in the liver. This drug also prevents a patient from relapsing.
Prevention
For people traveling into areas with high malaria rates, a prevention drug therapy cycle is available prior to traveling. The vaccination is given to people approximately four to six weeks prior to the travel date. There are several drugs available to treat malaria. Which one given to a traveler is dependent on the decision of the doctor. Some drugs are not available for use in small children or pregnant women. Speak to a doctor before traveling to receive drug prevention methods for malaria.
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