BRAINCAKETransmission of Malaria
Malaria is not passed directly from person to person. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito, which needs a blood meal to develop her eggs. Male mosquitoes feed on nectar and do not transmit malaria.
Infection of the human
1. When an infected mosquito bites, it injects saliva containing sporozoites into the blood.
2. Within about 30 minutes the sporozoites reach the liver and enter liver cells.
3. In each liver cell a sporozoite divides asexually many times, producing thousands of merozoites. After one to two weeks the liver cell bursts, releasing them into the blood.
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Key terms in this lesson
- sporozoite
- The infective stage of the malaria parasite, injected into the blood by a mosquito bite, which invades liver cells.
- merozoite
- A stage of the malaria parasite produced by asexual division in liver cells or red blood cells, which goes on to invade further red blood cells.
- gametocyte
- A sexual stage of the malaria parasite that develops in the blood and is taken up by a mosquito to form gametes.
More in Viruses, Fungi and Protozoa
- Pathogenic Effects of Stem Rust
- Treatment and Control of Stem Rust
- Protozoa as Pathogens
- Plasmodium spp.
- Pathogenic Effects of Malaria
- Endemic Diseases
- Treatment, Prevention and Control of Malaria
- Preventing the Breeding of Mosquitoes
All 17 lessons in Viruses, Fungi and Protozoa · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics