Sporozoa

• Under which phylum do Plasmodium spp. and Babesia spp. fall?

  Phylum Apicomplexa
• What is the characteristic feature of the protozoan parasite known as Sporozoa?

  It produces a spore-like oocyst containing sporozoites
• Where do Plasmodium spp. and Babesia spp. live?

  They live intracellularly (inside the cell)
• What structure do Plasmodium spp. and Babesia spp. possess at some stage in their life cycle?

  Apical complex
• Name one species of Plasmodium.

  Plasmodium falciparum
• What is the Italian meaning of the word "mal'aria"?

  "Bad air"
• In which century was the name Malaria given?

  18th Century
• What was believed to cause malaria in the past?

  Emanation from marshy soil
• Why is malaria considered the most important parasitic disease affecting humans?

  It is the leading parasitic disease that causes mortality worldwide
• Which organization identified malaria as a major infectious disease threat?

  World Health Organization (WHO)
• When does peak transmission of malaria occur?

  Beginning and end of the rainy season
• Which groups are mostly affected by malaria?

  Children and pregnant women
• What are the consequences of chronic malaria in children?

  It may lead to anemia, impaired physical, and mental growth and development
• What is the leading contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality in pregnant women affected by malaria?

  Anemia
• What is the vector for malaria?

  Female Anopheles mosquito
• Name one species under the Anopheles family.

  Anopheles litoralis
• What is the final host for the malaria parasite?

  Female Anopheles mosquito
• What is the intermediate host for the malaria parasite?

  Man
• What are the infective stages of malaria?

  Sporozoites and gametocytes
• How is malaria primarily transmitted?

  Vector borne (Arthropod borne)
• What is imported malaria?

  Acquired by visitors or residents of a country with endemic disease
• What is transfusion malaria?

  Associated with blood transfusion from infected donors
• What is mainline malaria?


  Caused by sharing needles and syringes among drug users
• What is congenital malaria?

  Transmitted transplacentally from the mother to the fetus
• What is the aquatic habitat of Anopheles flavirostris?

  Slow flowing streams; shaded streams
• When do adult Anopheles mosquitoes typically bite?

  Night biting (indoor and outdoor)
• Where do adult Anopheles mosquitoes rest?

  Inside walls
• What is sporogony in the malaria life cycle?

  The sexual phase that takes place in the female Anopheles mosquito
• What is the result of the sexual cycle in the mosquito?

  Formation of sporozoites
• What are the sex cells of Plasmodium spp. developed in the RBC of humans?

  Microgamete and macrogamete
• What is the resulting product of the union between microgamete and macrogamete?

  Formation of zygote
• What is the process called when the male gametocyte divides to produce microgametes?

  Exflagellation
• What happens to the female gametocyte during fertilization?

  It matures to become the female gamete or macrogamete
• What is an ookinete?

  The zygote that gradually elongates and becomes motile
• What is an oocyst?

  A rounded sphere with an elastic membrane where sporozoites are formed
• What happens when the oocyst ruptures?

  Sporozoites enter the hemocele or body cavity
• How do sporozoites initiate human infection?

  They are injected into skin capillaries when the mosquito feeds on humans
• What is schizogony?

  The asexual phase where the malaria parasite multiplies by division
• Where does schizogony occur in humans?

  In RBC and liver
• What is pre-erythrocytic schizogony?

  Schizogony that occurs in the liver before the parasite invades the erythrocyte