QUESTIONWhy does the malaria parasite first enter the liver?ANSWERThe malaria parasite enters the liver in order to transform from a sporozoite (which can infect liver cells) to a merozoite, which is capable of infecting red blood cells. Both stages also include a proliferation step, but in the blood, the merozoites are also able to differentiate into gametocytes, which are then taken … [Read more...]
Feeling Ill After Malaria Infection
QUESTIONHow soon after infection, will a person usually begin to feel ill?ANSWERThere is a latent period, during which time the malaria parasites (which had entered the bloodstream via the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito) migrate to the liver and undergo replication. The sporozoites (the life stage that enters the blood from the mosquito) differentiate in many merozoites, which … [Read more...]