This document discusses Plasmodium spp., the parasites that cause malaria. It describes their life cycle, which involves stages in both mosquito and human hosts. In humans, Plasmodium parasites infect liver cells then red blood cells. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting. Diagnosis is via blood smear examination. Treatment involves antimalarial drugs like chloroquine and prevention through mosquito control measures. The document was prepared by medical students and their lecturer at the University of Duhok College of Medicine Parasitology Department.

1. UNIVERSITY OF DUHOK –
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE,
PARASITOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Prepared by:
1- Hassan Haval Haji
2- Mohammad Sami
3- Azry Salih
4- Awad AbdlRazaq
5- Mohammad Farhad
6- Hussain Bashar
7- Masoud Ismail
8- Blind Zaki
9- Rawej Khsro
10- Jawad AbdlRezaq
11- Mohammad Kawe
12- Ardalan Faris
13- Sarbast Salam
14- Midea AbdulJalil
15- Helin Saadi
16- Ava Borhan
17- Shirin Khalil
18- Danya Jaza
19- Siran Salih
20- Khonaw Masoud
21- Wahida Hassan
Plasmodium spp.
Lecturer: Dr. Souzan H. Eassa

2. Plasmodium spp.
Plasmodium spp. pertain to the kingdom of Protista
and are from the phylum of Apicomplexa (Sporozoa).
 Some species of Plasmodium cause the disease
MALARIA including:
1- Plasmodium
falciparum
2- Plasmodium vivax
3- Plasmodium ovale
4- Plasmodium malariae
 Plasmodium requires 2 hosts in its life cycle:
1- An insect host (Mosquito) especially the female Anopheles mosquito.
⟶ Definitive host
2- A vertebrate host (Humans, birds, bats, monkeys .. etc)
⟶ Intermediate host
They have no locomotive structures.

3. The Life Cycle and Stages of Plasmodium

4. The life-cycles of Plasmodium species involve several
different stages both in the insect and the vertebrate
host:
1. Sporozoites (infective stage): are injected by the
insect vector into the vertebrate host's blood then these
Sporozoites infect the host liver (hepatocytes) then they
convert the cell into Hepatic Schizonts.
3. Merozoites and (in some species) hypnozoites:
merozoites move into the blood where they infect red
blood cells. In the red blood cells, the parasites will
transform into:
2. Schizonts: the sporozoites in Schizont cells undergo
morphological change and multiply asexually in a
process called schizogony to form thousands of:
The Life Cycle and Stages of Plasmodium

5. 4. Trophozoites (diagnostic stage): which either mature
to schizonts (diagnostic stage) which divide several times to
produce new merozoites to infect more red blood cells or
they will convert into:
5. Gametocytes (diagnostic stage): gametocytes
circulate in the blood until they are taken up when a
mosquito feeds on the infected vertebrate host, taking up
blood which includes the gametocytes.
In the mosquito, the gametocytes move along with the blood meal to
the mosquito's midgut. Here the gametocytes develop into male and
female gametes which fertilize each other, forming a zygote. Zygotes
then develop into a motile form called an:
6. Ookinete: which penetrates the wall of the gut, the
ookinete embeds into the gut's exterior membrane and
develops into an:

6. 7. Oocyst: divide many times to produce large numbers of
small elongated sporozoites. These sporozoites migrate to
the salivary glands of the mosquito where they can be
injected into the blood of the next host the mosquito bites,
repeating the cycle.
Note:
In Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale not all of the
sporozoites immediately undergo schizogony in hepatocytes but
instead some remain in a quiescent state referred to as the
hypnozoite form. These hypnozoites can remain in the liver for
weeks or even years before undergoing further development and
are therefore responsible for the onset of illness that relapses
long after the initial infection.

7. The Life Cycle and Stages of Plasmodium

8. Exoerythrocytic and Erythrocytic Cycles

9. Plasmodium mechanism within
Hepatocytes
(Exoerythrocytic cycle)
1. Plasmodium enters the hepatocytes as
Sporozoites and then they convert the cell
into Hepatic Schizonts.
2. Within Hepatic Schizonts, the
Plasmodium spp. start to reproduce for
several times producing a huge number of
merozoites.
3. These merozoites will rupture the
Hepatic Schizonts and release into the
blood.
4. Some of these sporozoites will convert
into hypnozoites and will remain in the
liver for many years.

10. Plasmodium mechanism within erythrocytes
(Erythrocytic Cycle)
1. Merozoites will enter the RBCs and will
convert into a Ring form (Immature
trophozoite).
2. This Ring form then will convert into a
elongated trophozoites which soon will
convert the RBC into schizont cells.
3. Within schizonts, the parasites start to
reproduce for several times producing a
huge number of merozoites.
4. The RBCs will rupture and merozoites will
release and they will invade the other cells.
5. Some trophozoites will convert into
Gametocytes.

11. Stages, Signs and Symptoms of
MALARIA
Malaria would exist in three stages:
By Anopheles mosquito
 Acute Malaria
 Chronic Malaria
 Congenital Malaria

12. Acute Malaria
 Is a significant stage of Malaria when all
major signs and symptoms of the disease
appear.
 Common symptoms: high fever, headache,
diarrhea, anemia, vomiting, nausea,
sweating , chilling, …..etc.

13. Chronic Malaria
 Is a long-term malarial infection in semi
immune organs, usually without fever,
headache or other acute symptoms.
 If it is not treated, it would evolve and
cause the Hyper-reactive Malarial
Splenomegaly HMS.

14. Congenital Malaria
 Occurs due to transplacental
transmission of Malaria from infected
pregnant woman to her baby of fetus.
 Clinical aspects: fever, anemia, jaundice,
feeding problems, hepatosplenomegaly,
and irritability.

15. TRANSMISSION OF PLASMODIUM
SPP.
Sporozoite: biting of Anopheles mosquito.
Merozoite, trophozoite, schizont and
gametocyte: are all transmitted by:
1. Blood transfusion
2. Organ transplant
3. From the mother to her fetus ( congenitally )
4. Contaminated needles

16. Diagnosis
 Blood examination
 Serologic test
• Ring form, Trophozoite, Schizont and
Gametocytes are all found in the blood.
• The first malaria antigen suitable as a
target for the antibodies is Glutamate
dehydrogenase.
• It requires testing of antibodies within
the serum of the blood.

17. Treatment
 Are called Antimalarial medications
Quinine and clindamycin are recommended
for a pregnant woman at ( 1st trimester )
while ACT for ( 2nd and 3rd trimester )
Artemisinins in combination with other
antimalarials ( known as artemisinin-based
combination therapy or ACT ) and the other
antimalarials are: amodiaquine,
lumefantrine.

18. Preventio
nKeeping mosquitoes from biting, especially at
night.
Sleeping under insecticide- treated bed nets,
using insect repellent.
Wearing long- sleeved clothing if outdoors at
night.

19. Thank you
for your
attention
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