notes of plasmodium .

Plasmodium is a pathogenic parasitic protozoan belonging to the genus Plasmodium and containing over 200 species. The most common species being the malarial pathogen. It causes malaria in humans.

Life cycle of plasmodium-
Plasmodium requires two hosts to complete its life cycle.  * When female Anopheles mosquito bites a healthy human being, it releases Plasmodium, which lives in its body as sporozoite (infectious form).  * The parasites multiply (asexual reproduction) in the liver cells and finally burst the liver cells. Sporozoites are released in blood.  * Parasites enter RBCs and further multiply (asexual reproduction) here and finally burst RBCs also.  * Bursting of RBCs is accompanied by release of a toxic substance called haemozoin (associated with fever and chills).  * In the RBCs, only sporozoites change into gametocytes (sexual stage). Gametocytes multiply. * When the diseased person is bitten by a female Anopheles mosquito, gametocytes are introduced into the mosquito.  * Gametocytes fertilise and develop inside the intestine of mosquito to form sporozoites.  * Sporozoites are stored in the salivary glands of mosquito and are released into the healthy person who is bitten by this mosquito.