QUESTION What is the pathophysiology of malaria? ANSWER Malaria causes disease through a number of pathways, which depend to a certain extent on the species. Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite of the genus Plasmodium; there are five species which infect humans, beingPlasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae and P. knowlesi. All these species are introduced into … [Read more...]
What year was the cause of malaria discovered?
QUESTION When did they find out that a bug bite caused malaria, and what year was that? ANSWER In 1880, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran observed that malaria was caused by a parasite in the blood; it wasn't until 1897-1898 that Ronald Ross, a British Army medical doctor, discovered that the parasite could be transmitted between hosts (he used birds for his experiments) by mosquitoes. … [Read more...]
Persistent Antibodies to Malaria?
QUESTION I had malaria as child, more than 30 years ago. It was successfully treated with no relapse. I have since travelled to malaria- endemic countries, but the last time was over 3 years ago. No symptoms. I recently donated blood and routine screening has detected malaria antibodies. How long do the antibodies persist? ANSWER Based on your experience, I would say at least three years! … [Read more...]
Malaria in the United States, Years Later
QUESTION For years, I have questioned what sickness I got years ago after a series of bug bites in a bayou in New Orleans. I've just read the symptoms described here and they fit everything I was suffering with. I even had problems with my liver, but I was never tested for Malaria because I had immediately left New Orleans for Italy. I never thought of mentioning it. This mysterious illness … [Read more...]
Reoccurring Malaria
QUESTION Can malaria reoccur year after year from a single infection? I have been told that it comes back every year by many people. I have had malaria once and it never came back after successful treatment. My thinking is that once the parasite has been eliminated from the system it is gone unless you get bitten again. ANSWER There are several different types of malaria that infect … [Read more...]
Malaria Prevention
QUESTION What are the ways in which you can prevent yourself from being infected with malaria? ANSWER Malaria prevention consists of a combination of mosquito avoidance measures (since malaria is transmitted by infected mosquitoes) and chemoprophylaxis (medication to prevent the establishment of malaria in your body, if you do get bitten). Although very efficacious, none of the … [Read more...]
Herbal Treatment for Malaria
QUESTION Can any form of malaria be treated by herbs or plants, and how long does it take to recover from malaria? ANSWER Actually, two of the most important kinds of anti-malarial medication are derived by substances found naturally in plants, though they need to be processed in certain ways before the full pharmaceutical effect is felt. Quinine, administered intravenously, is … [Read more...]
Distribution of Malaria
QUESTION Where does malaria mostly take place? ANSWER Malaria is mainly transmitted in tropical regions of the world; while some transmission does occur outside of the tropics, it tends to be seasonal in these areas (i.e. usually only during periods of high temperature/high rainfall). Within the tropics, malaria is found on all continents, though the highest number of cases is in Africa, … [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...]
Sexual Transmission of Malaria
QUESTION Can malaria be transmitted by having sex with an infected person? ANSWER No. Malaria cannot be transmitted sexually. It is only present in the blood and in certain organs such as the liver and spleen. As such, it is usually only transmitted via the bite of an infected mosquito, though in rare cases, it can be transmitted directly via blood transfusion, organ transplant or via the … [Read more...]