The MALARIA PARASITE

1. GAMETOCYTES

. Mosquito sucks in blood from an animal with malaria

. Gametocyles reproduce sexually inside the mosquito

. In the salivary glands the gametocytes turn into SPOROZOITES

2. Sporozoites

. Mosquito bites another animal

. Transfrers the sporozoites into the animal's bloodstream

. Sporozoites pass through blood to the liver

. Enters the liver cells

. Inside the cells, sporozoites rapidly divides asexually

. Produces MEROZOITES

3. Merozoites

. Many merozoites released from liver cells into blood

. Invades red blood cells

2 different paths (A & B) 

Path A. Merozoite grows then nucleus divides asexually producing schizonts

Path B. Merozoites reproduces gametocytes sexually. 

Red blood cells containing gametocytes can be

sucked up if animal is bitten by mosquito.

Life cycle begins again

4. Schizonts

. Schizonts divides producing merozoites 

. Red blood cell bursts 

. Releases merozoites and toxins

. Triggers fever attacks

. Merozoites invade other red blood cells- cycle repeated

. Infected red blood cells tend to burst at the same time