The life cycle of Plasmodium in Anopheles Mosquitoes and Humans Malaria The life cycle of Plasmodium in Anopheles Mosquitoes and Humans

As a female anopheles mosquito with the parasite drinks its "wee dram of blood," it transmits many threadlike structures (called sporozoites) into the new host.

These sporozoites travel to the liver, where they multiply and form another kind of spore, called a merozoite.

The merozoites enter the bloodstream.

They penetrate red blood cells, where they devour haemoglobin, the chemical that transports oxygen.

When the blood cell disintegrates, the merozoites (now multiplied 16-fold) escape and infect other blood cells. This is when the sufferer has fever, exhaustion and weakness which can kill them.

A few merozoites form a sexual stage, called Gametocytes, which can be sucked up by another mosquito taking a blood meal.

Two sexually active gametocytes meet in the mosquito's gut

Gametocytes produce a new generation of parasites - Sporozoites. Erupting of new sporozoites from the stomach wall of the Mosquito

Sporozoites develop in the Salivary glands of the Mosquito.

This mosquito can transmit the infection only if she sucks more blood from an uninfected person before she dies.

Mosquitoes can reproduce in any pool of water, however small or temporary. They lay eggs which develop into larvae very quickly.

So, how is some sort of control attempted ? Drugs – to kill the plasmodium parasite in the human host. This breaks the cycle of re-infection and will also help the sufferer to recover. Mosquito nets covered in insecticide. Spraying of houses (inside) with insecticide. Spraying of oil on stagnant water.

…the Plasmodium is evolving!!!! BUT….. …….the Mosquito is evolving!!!!!!! AND….. …the Plasmodium is evolving!!!!

Forty-one percent of the world's population live in areas where malaria is transmitted Each year 350–500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, and over one million people die, most of them young children in sub-Saharan Africa an estimated 990,000 people died of malaria in 1995 – over 2700 deaths per day, or 2 deaths per minute Every year approximately 2,000 British travellers return home with malaria an average of nine people die each year from malaria in the UK.