What Is Plasmodium?
Plasmodium is a genus single-celled parasite that has a nucleus and is an obligate parasite of vertebrates and insects. This parasite entails growth in an infection of the host by feeding off its blood and injecting the parasite into the host. The destruction of red blood cells in the body can result in a disease called malaria. There are over 200 species of Plasmodium that have been recognized and divided into 14 categories based on parasite morphology.
(Wikipedia, 2019) |
Normal Host
Plasmodium infects the red blood cells in mammals (includes humans), reptiles, birds and occurs global, but particularly in tropical areas. The organism is transferred by the bite of the Anopheles female mosquito. There are 5 different species that cause human malaria: Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium knowlesi. Plasmodium species are parasitic as they progress between a vertebrate host and an insect host to help in the completion of their life cycle. (Britannica, 2018)
|