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Malaria Life Cycle Chart

The Life Cycle of Malaria involves multiple stages that transmit the parasite between mosquitoes and humans. 1) An infected mosquito injects sporozoites into a human during feeding. 2) The sporozoites travel to the liver and infect liver cells, developing into schizonts. 3) The schizonts rupture and release merozoites, which infect red blood cells, where they multiply and cause the cyclical symptoms of malaria in humans.

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Shaezarah Mohamudally
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1K views1 page

Malaria Life Cycle Chart

The Life Cycle of Malaria involves multiple stages that transmit the parasite between mosquitoes and humans. 1) An infected mosquito injects sporozoites into a human during feeding. 2) The sporozoites travel to the liver and infect liver cells, developing into schizonts. 3) The schizonts rupture and release merozoites, which infect red blood cells, where they multiply and cause the cyclical symptoms of malaria in humans.

Uploaded by

Shaezarah Mohamudally
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • The Life Cycle of Malaria

The Life Cycle of Malaria

To start the cycle, an infected


female Anopheles mosquito
injects sporozoites into the
skin while feeding.

Sporozoites enter the


blood stream and are
carried to the liver, where
they infect liver cells.

Within liver cells, the


parasites develop into
schizonts.

(About 2 weeks)

BLOOD CELL

LIVER
CELL

MOSQUITO STAGES
(7-10 days)

INFECTED
LIVER CELL

In some malaria
species, parasites
remain in the liver,
causing relapses.

SPOROZOITES

The schizonts rupture, releasing


thousands of individual merozoites into the bloodstream.

HUMAN LIVER STAGES

An infected mosquito
starts the cycle

SPOROZOITE

SCHIZONT

MEROZOITES
INFECTED CELL
(DORMANT)
5

Merozoites
infect red
blood cells.

GAMETOCYTES

BLOOD CELL

13

SALIVARY GLANDS
RUPTURED SCHIZONT

SPOROZOITES
GAMETES
12

When the mosquito feeds,


gametocytes are ingested
into its stomach.

The gametocytes emerge


from the infected blood cells,
becoming gametes.

The male gamete fuses


with the female gamete
producing a zygote.

ZYGOTE
STOMACH
WALL

10

10
OOKINETE

11
OOCYST

13

The zygotes elongate into


ookinetes which move
through the stomach wall.

11

The ookinetes develop into oocysts.

12

The oocysts grow and rupture,


releasing sporozoites.

The sporozoites migrate to the salivary glands,


ready to be injected and renew the cycle.

SCHIZONT

HUMAN BLOOD STAGES


CAUSE ILLNESS

(2-3 day cycles)

INFECTED
RED BLOOD
CELL

Repeated cycles cause illness


and potential death if not treated.

TROPHOZOITE

RING
STAGE

Another mosquito
becomes infected,
continuing the cycle

GAMETOCYTES

Some parasites change into male and


female forms called gametocytes.
The Carter Center / Graphic by Al Granberg

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