life cycle of malaria-causing protist

Question 1

what protist causes malaria?

Answer 1

Plasmodium (mainly vivax, but some others)

Question 2

step 1

Answer 2

a mosquito feeds on an infected person. it ingests reproductive cells of Plasmodium present in red blood cells

Question 3

step 2 (after a mosquito feeds on an infected person. it ingests reproductive cells of Plasmodium present in red blood cells)

Answer 3

the reproductive cells fuse inside the mosquito to form a zygote. the zygote divides many times to form numerous spore-like cell fragments. eventually, the cell breaks open, releasing cells called sporozoites

Question 4

step 3 (after the reproductive cells fuse inside the mosquito to form a zygote. the zygote divides many times to form numerous spore-like cell fragments. eventually, the cell breaks open, releasing cells called sporozoites)

Answer 4

the sporozoites invade the mosquito’s salivary gland, from where they will be injected into a new host when the mosquito bites again

Question 5

step 4 (after the sporozoites invade the mosquito’s salivary gland, from where they will be injected into a new host when the mosquito bites again)

Answer 5

inside the human host, the sporozoites reproduce asexually in the liver to form a second type of spore-like cell. from the liver, these new spores enter the bloodstream, invade red blood cells, and multiply rapidly inside them

Question 6

step 5 (after inside the human host, the sporozoites reproduce asexually in the liver to form a second type of spore-like cell. from the liver, these new spores enter the bloodstream, invade red blood cells, and multiply rapidly inside them)

Answer 6

the blood cells rupture, releasing toxic substances and great numbers of spores. these spores go on to infect more red blood cells (the cycle repeats)