QUESTION Will the appearance of sporozoites in blood mark the end of prepatent period in malaria? ANSWER Actually, no. The presence of sporozoites indicates the start of the infection. Sporozoites are introduced into the bloodstream via the bite of an infected mosquit0. The sporozoites then have to make their way to the liver and infect hepatocyte cells, where they undergo … [Read more...]
Malaria and Blood Cells
QUESTION What effect does malaria have on blood cells? ANSWER Malaria survives by invading red blood cells (erythrocytes), then replicating within them several times (the exact number and timing of replication depends on the species of malaria), then, once done with replication, bursts from inside the red blood cells, destroying it in the process. As such, malaria infection decreases the … [Read more...]