Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Plasmodium parasites. It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, especially Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The disease has been documented for over 4000 years and may have contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire. In the late 19th century, scientists discovered that malaria parasites infect red blood cells and are transmitted via mosquito bites. Today, malaria remains a major global health problem, with over 200 million cases and 600,000 deaths estimated annually.

1. Malaria
Dr.Aishwarya J Ramalingam
Assistant Professor of Microbiology
SBMCH

2. Introduction
• Malaria is amosquito borne-disease causedby
Plasmodium, which is transmitted by the bite
of infected female anophelesmosquito.
• Theterm malaria originates from Italian word:mala
aria —"bad air"
• Thediseaseis widespread
in tropical and subtropical regions.[2] Thisincludes
much of Sub-SaharanAfrica, Asia, and LatinAmerica.

3. History:
• Malaria or the associated disease havebeen
noted 4000 yearsago.
• Malaria may havecontributed to the decline
of the RomanEmpire, and wassopervasive in
Romethat it wasknown asthe "Romanfever".

4. History:
• Scientific studies on malaria made their first significant
advancein 1880, when Charles LouisAlphonse
Laveran—aFrench army doctor working in themilitary
hospital of Constantine in Algeria—observed parasites
inside the red blood cells of infected people for the
first time. For this and later discoveries, he was
awarded the 1907 Nobel Prizefor Physiology or
Medicine.
• Scottish physician Sir Ronald Rosswho proved that the
mosquito wasthe vector for malaria for this he was
awarded the Nobel prize in1902.

5. History
• Thefirst effective treatment for malariacame
from the bark of cinchona tree, which
contains quinine.

6. Epidemiology
• TheWHOestimates that in 2010 there were 219
million casesof malaria resulting in 660,000deaths.
• Others have estimated the number ofcasesat
between 350 and 550 million forfalciparum
malaria and deaths in 2010 at 1.24 million up from 1.0
million deaths in 1990.
• Themajority of cases(65%)occur in children under15
yearsold.
• About 125 million pregnant women are at risk of
infection each year; in Sub-SaharanAfrica,maternal
malaria is associatedwith up to 200,000 estimated
infant deathsyearly.

7. Epidemiology
• P
.vivax is the most common causeofmalaria
and is found in subtropical and temperate
areasof the world.
• P
.vivax and P
.ovale causesrelapsingmalaria.
• P
.falciparum is found in the tropical region
and causesthe most severeand fatal disease.
• P
.ovale is the least common malarialspecies
and is endemic inAfrica.

9. Aetiology
• Malaria parasites belong to the genusPlasmodium (phylum
Apicomplexa).
• In humans, malaria iscaused by P
.falciparum, P
.malariae, P
.
ovale, P
.vivax and P
.knowlesi.
• Among those infected, P
.falciparum is the most common
species identified (~75%)followed by P
.vivax(~20%).

10. Life cycle of malarialparasite

11. Symptoms of malaria:
Physical findings may
include:
oElevated temperature
oPerspiration
oWeakness
oEnlarged spleen
oMild jaundice
oEnlargement of liver
oIncreased respiration
rate.

12. Pathogenesis:
• Incubation period: 10-14 daysin P
.vivax, P
.
falciparum and P
.ovale but it is 28-30 daysin
P
.malariae.
• Thetypical clinical features consists of febrile
paroxysm, anaemia and splenomegaly.

13. Stagesof disease:
• Cold stage
• Hot stage
• Sweating stage

14. Cold stage:

15. Hot stage:

16. Sweating stage: