Plasmodium vivax Plasmodium ovale Plasmodium malariae Plasmodium falciparum
Diseases produced - Benign tertian malaria - Ovale tertian malaria - Quartan malaria - Subtertian malaria
- Malignant-tertian malaria
- Pernicious anemia
- Tropical malaria
- Estivo-atumnal malaria
Geographical distribution - Most extensive range
- Exact distribution has not been - Also widespread but - Prevailing in most tropical regions
- Most common species in the fully determined
comparatively rare
as well as subtropical regions
temperate zone - Low incidence - Much lower incidence than P.
vivax and P. falciparum
Infected RBC - Affinity for the younger RBC - Prefer mature RBC - Much more numerous
- May reach up to 500000/ mm3
RBC it invades is… - Enlarged and pale - Less enlarged and globular - Normal or contracted in size
Stipplings - Schuffner’s dots - Ziemann’s dots - Maurer’s dots
• Round, uniform, pink
• Smaller, more irregular and less • Star-shaped, few and purplish or
• Usually occurs at growing trophozoite stage prominent pink granules reddish in colour
Malarial pigments - Has short, delicate rodlets - Similar to but somewhat coarser - Has more granular pigments with - Has granular, dark brown or
irregularly scattered without much than P. vivax
early formation
blackish pigment with early
coalescence - Sometimes clumped or in lateral - Pigments are plenty, coarse, dark tendency to coalesce
bands brown or blackish and
peripherally scattered
Number of merozoites in mature - 8-24 (average 16) - 6-12 (average 8) - 6-12 (average 8)
- 8-32 (average 16)
schizont - Symmetrically arranged
- Referred to as rosette or daisy
head formation
Life span - 1 to 3 years - Over 20 years - Shortest with 0.5-1 year
Erythrocytic schizogony - 48 hours - 72 hours - 36-48 hours
- Takes place in the capillaries of
internal organs
ccca // insignis 1
TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS AT A GLANCE
Plasmodium vivax Plasmodium ovale Plasmodium malariae Plasmodium falciparum
Relative age of infected RBCs - Only young and immature cells - Only mature cells - May infect cells of all ages
Appearance of infected RBCs - Enlarged, distorted - Oval and enlarged
- Normal size, no distortion - Normal size, no distortion
- Distorted with ragged cell walls
Morphologic form - Typical characteristics (based on Giemsa staining)
Ring form - Delicate cytoplasmic ring measuring 1/3 of - Resembles that of P. vivax
- Smaller than P. vivax
- Circle configuration (one chromatin dot) or
RBC diameter
- Ring larger in size than P. vivax
- Occupy 1/6 of the RBC
headphone configuration (two chromatin
- Single chromatin dot
- Ring thick and often somewhat amoeboid - Heavy chromatin dot
dots)
- Ring surrounds a vacuole
in appearance - Vacuole may appear filled in
- Scanty cytoplasm
- Accole forms possible - Pigment characteristically forms early - Small vacuole usually visible
- Multiple rings common
- Accole forms possible
Developing trophozoite - Irregular amoeboid appearance
- Ring appearance usually maintained until - Nonameboid solid cytoplasm that may - Heavy rings common
- Ring remnants common
late in development
assume roundish, oval, band or bar shape
- Fine pigment granules
- Brown pigment becomes apparent, - Amoeboid tendencies not as evident as in - Cytoplasm contains coarse dark brown - Mature forms only seen in severe infections
increases in number and visibility as P. vivax pigment; may mask chromatin material
parasites mature - Vacuoles absent in mature stages
Immature schizont - Multiple chromatin bodies often contain - Progressive dividing chromatin surrounded - Similar to that of P. vivax, only smaller
- Multiple chromatin bodies surrounded by
clumps of brown pigment by cytoplasmic material often maintains - May contain large and dark peripheral or cytoplasm
circular shape early in development central granules - Only detected in severe infections
Mature schizont - 12-24 merozoites occupy most of infected - Parasites occupy 75% of RBCs
- Typically contains 6-12 merozoites - Typically consists of 8-36 merozoites
RBC
- Rosette arrangement of merozoites arranged in rosettes or irregular clusters
(average 24) in cluster arrangement
- Merozoites surrounded by cytoplasmic (average of 8 merozoites typically present) - Central arrangement of brown-green - Only detected in severe infections
material
pigment may be visible
- Brown pigment may be present - Infected RBC may not be seen because
developing parasites often fill the cell
completely
Microgametocyte - Large pink to purple chromatin mass - Similar to P. vivax, only smaller in size - Similar to P. vivax, only smaller in size
- Sausage or crescent-shaped
surrounded by colourless to pale halo
- Pigment usually darker and coarser
- Dispersed central chromatin with nearly
- Brown pigment common - Older forms assume an oval shape black pigment usually visible
Macrogametocyte - Round to oval cytoplasm
- Sausage or crescent-shaped
- Eccentric chromatin mass
- Compact chromatin
- Delicate light-brown pigment — may be - Black pigment surrounding chromatin may
visible throughout cell be present
ccca // insignis 2
