QUESTION What are the Host range? ANSWER Malaria is caused by a parasite, of the genus Plasmodium, which requires two organisms for the completion of its life cycle—an insect, which is usually referred to as the "vector," in which sexual reproduction occurs, and a vertebrate "host," in which asexual multiplication occurs. Different species of Plasmodium infects a large range of … [Read more...]
What is Malaria
QUESTION What is malaria? ANSWER Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite, of the genus Plasmodium, that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito (of the genus Anopheles) which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of malaria parasites can infect humans: Plasmodium … [Read more...]
Malaria Mosquito Classification
QUESTION What is the classification of mosquito that cause malaria? ANSWER The mosquitoes that cause malaria in humans (and indeed also in all other mammals) all belong to the genus Anopheles. They belong to the family Culicidae, which also includes other disease vectors such as Culex and Aedes, which transmit other diseases such as dengue virus, lymphatic filariasis, West Nile virus and … [Read more...]
What is Malaria?
QUESTION What is malaria? What is the parasite that causes malaria? ANSWER Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite, of the genus Plasmodium, that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito (of the genus Anopheles) which feeds on humans. People who get malaria are typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Four kinds of … [Read more...]
Malaria Infectious?
QUESTION Is malaria infectious? ANSWER Yes, malaria is considered an infectious disease, though it is very rarely transmitted directly between people, and virtually all of the time must be transmitted via the bite of a mosquito (of the genus Anopheles). Because part of the life cycle of malaria occurs in red blood cells in the human host, if sufficient amounts of blood are shared … [Read more...]
Malaria Mosquito Eggs
QUESTION Where do Anopheles mosquito lay their eggs? ANSWER Female Anopheles mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing, often stagnant, pools of fresh water. These larvae can be identified in ponds and puddles because unlike other mosquito larvae, they position themselves parallel with the surface of the water, allowing them to breathe air despite not having a respiratory siphon (instead, … [Read more...]
Discovery of Malaria
QUESTION How was malaria discovered? ANSWER Malaria has long been known to human populations from across the world. In fact, the first mention of the symptoms of malaria comes from an ancient Chinese manuscript from 2700 BCE! However, the actual cause and mechanism of transmission of the disease was only discovered in the 19th century. It was Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, a French … [Read more...]
Anopheles Mosquito
QUESTION What does Anopheles looks like? ANSWER Mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles are responsible for all transmission of malaria in mammals, including to humans. They are night-feeding mosquitoes, usually biting between dusk and dawn, though they may also be active during the day in heavily shaded environments. Like all mosquitoes, Anopheles are usually found either as freshwater … [Read more...]
As American as…Plasmodium vivax?
While its evolutionary history is disputed, there’s no doubt malaria was a key factor in the history of the Americas I am in the midst of a fascinating book about the way the world changed after Columbus “discovered” America in 14921. Called, appropriately, 1493: Uncovering the World Columbus Created, it is author Charles C. Mann’s follow-up to an earlier, equally engaging book on pre-Colombian … [Read more...]
Mosquito Types
QUESTION How many types of mosquito are there? ANSWER There are over 3,500 species of mosquito! However, most of these do not transmit any diseases to humans. Mosquitoes are usually divided into two sub-families, the Anophelinae and the Culicinae. The latter group consists of about 40 genera, including Culex and Aedes, which contain some species that transmit diseases to humans (such as … [Read more...]