Malaria Flashcards
Where is malaria most common?
Africa
Malaria is a n_____ p____ infection
notifiable protozoal infection
What type of plasmodium is the most common malaria causing carried my female anopheles (genus type) mosquitoes?
plasmodium falciparum
Which groups of people are most at risk of malaria?
Young children
Old people
Pregnant ladies
What is carried in mosquito saliva which starts malaria infection?
Sporozoites
The sporozoites multiply in which cell of the human body?
Hepatocytes
What do the sporozoites multiply in the hepatocytes as (what are the daughter parasites called)?
Merozoites
What are the species of protozoa that have some merozoites lay dormant as hypnozoites?
plasmodium ovale and plasmodium vivax
In the RBCs of the human host, what do the merozoites transform into?
trophozoites
What do trophozoites transform into?
Schizont
What do schizont transform into?
New merozoites
The contaminated RBCs r____ and cause a systemic infection
rupture
What are symptoms of malaria?
Fever + exotic travel
Anaemia
Blackwater fever (malarial haemoglobinuria)
Hepatosplenomegaly
What is blackwater fever?
Sudden onset of haemolysis (destruction of RBCs) leading to release of haemoglobin into bloodstream which can cause dark or “black” urine.
What are symptoms that children may present with in malaria?
Convulsions (60-80%)
Increased ICP
Hypoglycaemia
Need to rule out meningitis by examining and CSF analysis
What is ICP?
Intracranial pressure
How do you diagnose malaria?
Thick blood film to identify whether malaria present
Thin blood film to identify what species is present
Need to take 3 separate -ve readings before declaring -ve.
What other condition requires 3 negative readings before confirming a negative test result?
TB
(HIV also recommends repeated tests at time intervals)
What is treatment for malaria?
Quinine and doxycycline (antimalarials)
or Artesunate (through IV if severe)
What is a side effect of quinine?
Hypoglycaemia
Where is a common source of malaria causing parasites spread through mosquitoes?
Contaminated stagnated pools
What are the different transformations in the host of the sporozoites?
Sporozoite
Merozoite
Trophozoite
schizont
new merozoite
(and gametocytes)
