Can an infected person transmit Malaria to others before symptoms appear?
Malaria parasites are normally transmitted from one person to another via mosquitos of the Anopheles species. The form of the parasite that can infect mosquitos is called gametocyte. Gametocytes start developing in capillaries of the inner organs of infected persons after the invasion of the blood by merozoites. Mature gametocytes, which are infective to mosquitos, appear in the peripheral blood some 3 (in the case of P.vivax) to 10 days (P.falciparum and P.malariae) later. The female Anopheles mosquito ingests malaria gametocytes when it takes a blood meal from an infected person. The parasite then needs a period of development in the mosquito before it can infect other people again. The length of this period (sporogonic cycle) depends on the Plasmodium species and the ambient temperature. In highly endemic areas, such as in parts of Africa, persons who have been repeatedly infected with malaria acquire a degree of immunity to malaria which suppresses most clinical symptoms. These peo
