Malaria Flashcards
What is Malaria?
A life-threatening blood borne disease transmitted through mosquitos.
What do infected Anopheles Mosquito carry that leads to malaria?
Plasmodium Parasite
When do symptoms of malaria present after infection?
Between 7 to 18 DAYS in most cases. SOME cases present after a year.
What are the species of malaria? (5)
1) Plasmodium Falciparum *
2) Plasmodium Ovale
3) Plasmodium Malariae
4) Plasmodium Knowlesi
5) Plasmodium Vivax
What are the symptoms of malaria? (8)
- Fever
- Rigors
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Abdominal Pain
- Dysuria
- Aching Bones
What are the signs of Malaria? (3)
There may be none, but in severe cases there is:
- Splenomegaly
- Hepatomegaly
- Mild Jaundice
What is the life cycle of plasmodium in malaria?
1) Mosquito Bites and infects
2) Sporozoite (in beginning)
3) Merozoite (in liver)
4) Male gametocyte (in blood cells)
5) Male plasmodium gametocyte gets injected by another moquito
6) It spreads to another human
What are some complications of malaria? (6)
- Cerebral Malaria (encephalopathy)
- Blackwater Fever
- Pulmonary Oedema
- Jaundice
- Severe Anaemia
- Algid Malaria
How do we diagnose malaria? (4)
- Thick & Thin blood films (Glemsa & Field’s Stain)
- Bloods
- Quantitative Buffy Coat (QBC)
- Rapid Antigen Tests
What blood results would suggest that a patient has severe malaria? (5)
- Hypoglycaemia
- Haemoglobin < 8mg/dL
- Haemobilinuria
- Parasite count > 2%
- pH <7.3 / Renal impairment
What physical symptoms would suggest that a malaria case is severe? (4)
- Seizures / LoC
- ARDs / Pulmonary Oedema
- DIC / Spontaneous Bleeds
- Shock (Algid Malaria)
How do we treat uncomplicated Palsmodium Falciparum? (5)
- For three days:
- Riamet
- Eurartesim
- Malarone
- For seven days:
- Quinine AND doxycyline
How do we treat severe P. Falciparum? (2)
- I.V. Quinine AND oral doxycycline
- I.V. Artesunate (not licenced in UK)
How do we treat Plasmodium Vivax, Ovale and Malariae? (2)
- For three days:
- Chloroquine
- Riamet
- For Vivax & Ovale:
- Add Primaquine for 14 days, for liver hypnozoites
How what malaria control programs are there? (4)
- Target Mosquito Breeding Sites
- Mosquite killing sprays
- Larvicides
- Altering human behaviour
