Life Cycle of Malarial Parasite

Introduction

This experiment aims to study the life cycle of a malarial parasite, Plasmodium. The Plasmodium parasite has a complex life cycle that includes two hosts: humans and mosquitoes. In mosquitoes, it goes through a sexual phase, while in humans, it undergoes an asexual phase.

When an infected female Anopheles mosquito carrying the parasite bites a person, it releases harmful sporozoites into the person’s blood, leading to the development of the disease known as malaria. The mosquito that passes on the malaria parasite is called the carrier.

Procedure

Take a permanent slide of blood smear containing Plasmodium and observe it under the compound microscope.
Observe the slide first under a lower magnification of 10X.
Then, observe the slide under a higher magnification of 40X.
Study the different stages of the life cycle of Plasmodium.

Observation

The blood sample contains ring-shaped parasitic Plasmodium cells observed within the red blood cells. A mosquito carrying the parasite contains Plasmodium cells at the sporozoite stage in its salivary gland that enter its mouth via proboscis while feeding. As the mosquito bites a healthy human for a meal, along with the saliva, the Plasmodium enters the blood vessels, some of which travel to the lymph vessels. At this stage, the sporozoites enter the bloodstream, starting part of their life cycle in a vertebrate host.

FAQs on Malarial Parasite

Q1.What is malaria?

Answer: Malaria is an illness where people get a fever because of tiny parasites called Plasmodium. These parasites are passed on through mosquito bites from infected mosquitoes.

Q2. What is Plasmodium?

Answer: Plasmodium, a genus of parasitic protozoans, has the ability to invade the red blood cells of mammals, leading to the development of the infectious disease known as malaria. Several species within this genus, including P. vivax, and P. malariae have been identified as causative agents of malaria

Q3. Which is the infective form of the malarial parasite?

Answer: Sporozoite is the infective form of a malarial parasite. When a female mosquito carrying malaria bites a person, it releases tiny forms called sporozoites into the person’s bloodstream. These sporozoites then enter the liver cells and begin to multiply through a process called liver schizogony.

Q4. What are the signs and symptoms of malaria?

Answer: The incubation period of malaria can take about 7 to 21 days. In the beginning, the symptoms can be similar to having the flu. The person might suddenly get a fever and feel like the flu, including a strong headache, shivers, sweating, muscle pain, fatigue, weakness, stomach ache, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, and nausea.