Plasmodium (Malarial Parasite)

Ankit Kumar Singh

Introduction
• Charles Laveran (1880) discovered the malaria caused
protozoan parasites. Sir Ronald Ross (1897)
discovered Oocytes of plasmodium on the gut walls of
female anopheles mosquito.
• It is protozoan parasites of human and other vertebrate.
About 120 species of plasmodium are known to be
malarial parasite. There are only four species known to
infect human being causing different types of malaria.
Plasmodium vivax
• Systemic position
Kingdom: Protista
Phylum: Protozoa
Class: Sporozoa
Genus: Plasmodium
Species: vivax
• It is a digenetic parasite i.e. complete their life cycle into two host. It
found in the liver cells & RBCs of human being and in the alimentary
canal & salivary gland of female anopheles mosquito.
Plasmodium species Type of malaria Fever recurred Incubation period

Plasmodium vivax Benign or tertian Every 48 hrs/4 days 14 days

malaria

Plasmodium Malignant Cerebral Every 36-48 hrs / 2nd or 12 day

falciparum malaria, black water 3rd day
fever

Plasmodium ovale Quartan malaria Every 48 hrs or 3rd day 14 day

Plasmodium malariae Benign tertian malaria Every 72 hrs 4th day 28 day
Structure of Plasmodium vivax
• Plasmodium is dimorphic parasite found two stages trophozoite and
sporozoite.
Trophozoite
• A fully grown Parasites is amoeboid & uninucleate shaped called
trophozoite. It’s body is covered with a plasma membrane cytoplasm is
vacuolated which show no differentiation between ectoplasm & endoplasm.
• A distinct nucleus with nucleolus is found in the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm
contain dark palade’s granules. The endoplasmic reticulum formed of
smooth or rough vesicle.
• Mitochondria are very few in number with peripheral cristae. Golgi body
and vacuoles of different sizes are also found. The nucleolus placed
eccentrically in the nucleus. The cytoplasm also contain food vacuoles
having hemozoin.
Structure of Plasmodium vivax
• Sporozoites are small (10-15mm long) sickle shaped,
uninucleate and motile forms of Parasites. Each
sporozoite consists of pellicle, cytoplasm and
nucleus. They are capable of wriggling movement.
Sporozoites
Life cycle of plasmodium
• The life cycle of plasmodium is digenetic i.e.
completed into two host such as female anopheles
mosquito as primary or definitive host because sexual
life cycle takes place whereas human beings are
secondary or intermediate host, where asexual
reproduction of the parasite called schizogony takes
place in liver cells & RBCs.
Life cycle of plasmodium
• Sporozoite is the infective form of malarial parasite which is
passed on to man through the bite infected vector, the female
anopheles mosquito.
• Asexual life cycle
a) Pre-erythrocytic schizogony
b) Exo-erythrocytic schizogony
c) Erythrocytic schizogony
d) Post-ethrocytic schizogony
Asexual life cycle
• Pre-erythrocytic schizogony: This phase lasts for 8 days. It is also
called liver schizogony. It takes place in liver cell of man when infected
female anopheles mosquito bites the healthy person, large number of
parasites are introduce in the blood. The parasite at this stage is called
sporozoite. And this process is called inoculation.
• Sporozoites are elongated and spindle shaped. The sporozoites enter the
liver parenchymal cells and become rounded. They undergo multiple
divisions and develop into schizonts. One schizont contains 20,000-
30,000 cryptozoites or crypto-merozoites. The liver cells ruptures and
releases the cryptozoites or crypto-merozoites into blood.
Asexual life cycle
• Exo-erythrocytic schizogony: The cryptozoites after released into liver
attack again to fresh liver cells. In the liver cells each cryptozoite
undergoes schizogony similar to previous one hence produce meta-
cryptozoite. This may repeat for several times to increase their number
and produce two types of meta-cryptozoite i.e. micro-cryptozoites and
meta-cryptozoites.
• Microcryptozoites releases in blood to start erythrocytic schizogony.
Asexual life cycle
• Erythrocytic schizogony: This has a duration of 48 hours. The micro-
metacrypto-merozoites penetrate the red blood cells.
• The metacrypto-merozoites enlarge in size and develop into trophozoites
which and active feeding stage and start to consume the hemoglobin.
• As it is grow in size a central vacuole in developed which pushes the
central nucleus into peripheral cytoplasm and this stage is known as
signet ring stage because it seems to gem to ring.
• This stage ingests the cytoplasm and RBC and form vacuole into which
secrete digestive enzymes globin and hematin.
• Globin help to digest protein and hematin iron. The protein part digested
by parasite hence used as food but while hematin can’t be digested.
Asexual life cycle
• Undigested hematin accumulated change into a toxic malarial pigment
haemozoin (haematin and ferric acid).
• After the feeding of hemoglobin the signet ring stage change into
irregular shaped and develops into amoeboid trophozoite. At this stage
large number of small granules appears in the cytoplasm of RBC
called schuffner’s granules or dots.
• Now, amoeboid trophozoite change into schizonts after active feeding
and called schizonts stage.
• In the case of Plasmodium falciparum the schizonts aggregate in the
capillaries of the brain and other internal organs. So that only ring
forms are formed in the peripheral blood.
Asexual life cycle
• Schizonts divided mitotically to form 12-24 nuclei and becomes an
oval shaped called merozoites.
• The hemozoin accumulated and merozoites are arranged in petals of
rose this stage called rosette stage.
• With the rupture of RBC and schizont the merozoite and haemozoin
are released into blood.
• Some merozoite destroyed by WBC and other attack again RBCs after
repeat one cycle.
• It takes 48 hours to complete erythrocytic schizogony.
Sexual life Cycle
• Gametogony
The life cycle of P. Vivax within the Mosquito is accomplished by the
following stages
• When the microgametocytes enter the stomach of a female Anopheles
mosquito they follow the ex-flagellation process.
• 6-8 haploid daughter nuclei are produced from the nucleus of
microgametocytes.
• After that the nuclei move towards the periphery of the
microgametocyte; the cytoplasm pushes out; and develops flagellum-
like structures containing one daughter nuclei in each which are
known as microgametes.
Cont.
• As a result of this process, 6-8 microgametes are formed
which are 20-25 microns in length.
• These gametes are moved towards the stomach of the
mosquito.
• The macro gametocytes grow and develop female gamete or
macrogamete which are non-motile and develop a
cytoplasmic or receptive cone.
Fertilisation

• The nucleus and cytoplasm of both gametes are fused

and developed a rounded zygote. The fusion of male
and female gametes is called syngamy.
• Several microgametes move towards the macrogamete
but only one microgamete can make it possible.
• When two fusing gametes are dissimilar
(anisogametes) known as anisogamy.
Ookinete and Encystment

• After 24 hours these motionless and rounded zygotes are elongated

and develop a worm-like structure having pointed ends and motile.
This is now known as ookinetes or vermicules.
• An ookinete is 15 to 22 microns in length and 3 microns in width.
• Then the ookinete gets attached and penetrates the stomach wall of the
mosquito and comes to lie beneath the outer epithelial layer.
• After that, the ookinete develops a thin elastic membranous cyst and
becomes encysted and in this condition, it is referred to as the oocyst.
• The oocyst grows and develops sporont.
Sporogony

• The oocyst develops slender spindle-shaped haploid cells called

sporozoites, with the division of the nucleus through the process of
meiosis and mitosis.
• A single oocyst can develop ten thousand sporozoites through the
process of sporogony.
• After that, the oocyst lysed the sporozoites are released into the
hemolymph of the mosquito. After that, they move towards the
salivary glands and enter the duct of the hypopharynx.
• When the infected mosquito bites a human it will inject the
sporozoites within the bloodstream and the life cycle will repeat again.
Malaria
• Malaria caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted to humans
through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Symptoms
• Fever, chills, headache, sweats, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
• Cerebral malaria, severe anemia, respiratory distress, organ failure, and death
if untreated.
Diagnosis
• Microscopic examination of blood smears, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), and
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
• Antimalarial drugs, including artemisinin-based combination therapies
(ACTs) for P. falciparum and chloroquine for P. vivax (in regions where it
remains effective).
Prevention
• Widely used to protect people from mosquito bites while sleeping.
• Applying insecticides to the walls and ceilings of homes to kill
mosquitoes.
• Reducing mosquito breeding sites by managing standing water and
using larvicides.
• Use of repellents, wearing long sleeves and pants, and avoiding
outdoor activities during peak mosquito activity times.
• Public health education