by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
What is malaria and when was it diagnosed?
ANSWER
Malaria is a disease caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium. Five types of malaria infect humans: P. falciparum, P. ovale, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. knowlesi. It was first observed in the blood of a patient who had died of malaria in 1880 by Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French physician working in Algeria.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
What is malaria?
ANSWER
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite, of the genus Plasmodium, that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito (of the genus Anopheles) which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of malaria parasites can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. knowlesi and P. malariae. Infection with P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may lead to death. Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can usually be prevented.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
what is the scientific name of malaria?
ANSWER
Malaria is caused by a single celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium. Five species infect humans, and their scientific names are Plasmodium falciparum (the most severe and deadly kind), P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
What is malaria?
What is the parasite that causes malaria?
ANSWER
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite, of the genus Plasmodium, that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito (of the genus Anopheles) which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of malaria parasites can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. knowlesi and P. malariae. Infection with P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may lead to death. Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can usually be prevented.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
What is malaria?
ANSWER
Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite, of the genus Plasmodium, that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito (of the genus Anopheles) which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of malaria parasites can infect humans: Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. Infection with P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may lead to death. Although malaria can be a deadly disease, illness and death from malaria can usually be prevented.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
I had malaria 5 months back it has again reoccurred. this time there has been increase in the size of the spleen. As of now it is being treated but I fear of getting it again. Is it true the malaria which i am down with reoccurs every 6- 8 months ??? Local people call it as registered malaria.. .
ANSWER
There certainly are types of malaria that can reoccur relatively regularly, at various intervals. This malaria is caused by one of two species, either Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale.
With both, it is important to get it diagnosed via a blood test with a doctor before getting treated again, to make sure it is indeed a relapse of the same malaria, and not a new infection with a different kind, or indeed some other disease (the symptoms of malaria can often be confused with other infections).
There is also medication that can be taken to prevent future relapses and re-occurrences—it is called primaquine, so you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of taking this medication. Please note it is not suitable for people who have G6DP deficiency, so you should be tested for that before taking it.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
What are the long term and short term effects of malaria in brief please?
ANSWER
The symptoms of malaria as an acute infection vary somewhat depending on the type of malaria, but usual signs include high fever (often in a cyclical pattern, with fever one day, then no fever for one or two days, then a recurrence of fever), chills, body aches and nausea.
For Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly form of malaria, the infection can progress rapidly if left untreated, with organ failure, impaired consciousness, coma and even death occurring as quickly as a few days after the onset of symptoms.
If the patient is able to survive the infection, or gets treatment in time, there are usually no long term affects of malaria infection. Some people who have suffered severe cerebral malaria (from P. falciparum) may experience some longer term neurological effects. Other types of malaria, such as P. ovale and P. vivax, can form dormant life stages which hide in the liver for weeks, months or even years, leading to relapse at a later date. However, apart from these recurrences, there are also no long term effects of infection with these types of malaria.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
Where are malaria parasites classified?
ANSWER
The parasite that causes malaria comes from the genus Plasmodium, which is part of a Phylum of single-celled protist organisms called Apicomplexa. The Apicomplexans mostly posses an organ called an apicoplast, which is part of an apical structure designed to aid entry into a host cell. The Apicomplexa is split into two Classes, of which Plasmodium belongs to the Aconoidasida (lacking a structure called a conoid, which is like a set of microtubules), and then to the Order Haemosporidia, which contains parasites which invade red blood cells. Within this Order, Plasmodium belongs to the Family Plasmodiidae, which all share numerous characteristics, including asexual reproduction in a vertebrate host and sexual reproduction in a definitive host (a mosquito, in the case of the Plasmodium species that infect all mammals, including humans).
In the case of human malarias, the definitive host is often referred to as the vector. The family contains about twelve genera, of which one is Plasmodium, which itself is now often divided up into numerous sub-genera, and then again into hundreds of different species, of which five infect humans (P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi).
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
What is the pathophysiology of malaria?
ANSWER
Malaria causes disease through a number of pathways, which depend to a certain extent on the species. Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium; there are five species which infect humans, beingPlasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi.
All these species are introduced into the human blood stream through the bite of an infected mosquito; the life stage of malaria at this point is called a “sporozoite”, and they pass first to the liver, where they undergo an initial stage of replication (called “exo-erythrocytic replication”), before passing back into the blood and invading red blood cells (called “erythrocytes”, hence this is the “erythrocytic” part of the cycle). The malaria parasites that invade red blood cells are known as merozoites, and within the cell they replicate again, bursting out once they have completed a set number of divisions. It is this periodic rupturing of the red blood cells that causes most of the symptoms associated with malaria, as the host’s immune system responds to the waste products produced by the malaria parasites and the debris from the destroyed red blood cells. Different species of malaria rupture the red blood cells at different intervals, which leads to the diagnostic cycles of fever which characterise malaria; P. vivax, for example, tends to produce cycles of fever every two days, whereas P. malaria produces fever every three.
In addition, Plasmodium falciparum produces unique pathological effects, due to its manipulation of the host’s physiology. When it infects red blood cells, it makes them stick to the walls of tiny blood vessels deep within major organs, such as the kidneys, lungs, heart and brain. This is called “sequestration”, and results in reduced blood flow to these organs, causing the severe clinical symptoms associated with this infection, such as cerebral malaria.
More details on the exact biochemical mechanisms for sequestration and its effect on the pathology of the infection can be found on the Tulane University website.
by Malaria Q&A
QUESTION
What are the causes of malaria?
ANSWER
Malaria is caused by infection with certain single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Specifically, there are five species which infect humans: P. falciparum (the most severe and dangerous form of malaria), P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi.
The symptoms of the disease occur when the parasite enters the blood stream (after a brief 1-3 week period of development in the liver) and begins to enter red blood cells, reproduce inside them, and then burst out, destroying the cell. The debris caused by this bursting, as well as various other aspects of the process, cause the body to mount an intense immune reaction which results in high fever, chills, aches and nausea. For P. falciparum infection, the infection is particularly severe because the parasite causes red blood cells it infects to stick inside the small blood vessels that lead to major organs, reducing blood flow and causing oxygen deprivation. When this occurs in the blood vessels in the brain, the result is impaired consciousness, unconsciousness, coma and even death – hallmarks of what is known as “cerebral malaria,” which is implicated in many of the deaths related to malaria each year.