Chapter 6 : Sporozoa

• The life cycle of Apicomplexa involves alternating stages between sexual reproduction within the definitive host and asexual reproduction within intermediate hosts.
• Sporozoans are unicellular parasites that reproduce by binary fission or multiple fissions.
• Sporozoa belong to phylum apicomplexa
• Anopheles the mosquito vector of malaria
• Zygote/ ookinete ( fertilizer egg)

  Oocysts ( matured egg )
• Sporozoite is a motile, infective form of few sporozoans that is an outcome of sporogony/ schizogony ( occurs inside of anopheles vector ) initiating an asexual cycle in the new host
• Gametocyte - gametes produced from zygotes
• Hypnozoite - sleeping form malaria due to reactivation of Malaria at liver cell

  Recrudescence / relapse infection
• Exoerythrocytic cycle - inside of liver cell

  Erythrocytic cycle - inside of RBC
• RING forms

  • Typically ring
  • Geimsa stain
  • The space inside is vacoules
• Developing TROPHOZOITE

  • Cytoplasmic circle and chromatin dot
  • Visible brown pigment
• IMMATURE schizonts

  • Occupies more space within RBC
• MATURE schizonts

  • Fully develop of merozoites
  • Except P. vivax
• MICRO-GAMETOCYTE

  • Male sex cell
  • Cytoplasm more pale
  • Chromatin mass pink to purple
• MACRO- GAMETOCYTE

  • Female sex cell
  • Cytoplasm darker, deeper blue
• Incubation period : 8-40 days
• Tertian malaria: 48 days
• Quartian malaria: 72 days
• Malignant tertian malaria ( fatal type) - P. falciparum
• Relapse - P.vivax and P. ovale
• Sickle cell traits is resistance to P.falciparum
• Duffy-negative blood group resistant to P. vivax
• Thin smear - what species

  Thick smear - presence of parasite
• Babesia microti

  • Ixodes scapularis (vector)
  • Asymptomatic
  • Incubation period: 1-4 weeks
  • Frequently fatal: Babesia divergens
  • Maltese cross - trophozoite stage