Lecture 6: Malaria Flashcards
What is malaria?
An ancient parasite of humans, carried by mosquitoes and still a huge problem today. Earliest source of it’s existence was the writings of Hippocrates.
How was malaria believed to have been spread before modern medicine?
It was widely believed that it was due to “bad air” or “mal-aria”.
Who discovered the transmission method of malaria?
Ronald Ross discovered that malaria was spread by the Anopheles mosquito, and was awarded Nobel prize in 1902 for this.
What is the link between the “bad air” theory and the real cause of malaria?
When was the cause of malaria discovered?
In 1880, by Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran. He discovered that the causative organism was a protozoan parasite which he named Oscillaria. This parasite was then renamed plasmodium in 1885.
How many different species of plasmodium are there?
How many infect humans?
Which plasmodia are these?
There are over 200 plasmodia species.
Only 5 infect humans:
- P.falciparum
-P.vivax
-P.ovalae
-P.malariae
-P.knowlesi
Describe the life cycle of the malarial parasite.
Where is malaria most common?
What are the symptoms of malaria?
How is malaria diagnosed?
What are the characteristics of P.falciparum?
What are the characteristic of P.vivax?
What does the term Schuffner’s dots refer to?
A hematological finding
What are ookinetes?
What are some indications of a P.falciparum infection?
