How Does the Malaria Parasite Cause Disease?
The Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria is carried by the Anopheles mosquito. When an infected mosquito bites a person, it can pass tiny, immature forms of the parasite into the person’s body. The immature parasites travel through the person’s blood-stream to the liver, where they develop and multiply. The parasites then reenter the bloodstream and invade the red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs throughout the body. Some of the parasites reach a sexual stage. If these are sucked up by another mosquito drinking its next blood meal, they can meet in the mosquito’s gut. There, they can start a whole new generation of malaria parasites. While in the red blood cells, the parasites continue to multiply. After 48 to 72 hours, the red blood cells break open and release more parasites into the bloodstream. The person then has symptoms such as chills, fever, and headache. The fever lasts for several hours. Then the person starts sweating and his body temperature falls. This cyc
