Malaria: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis - Essay Example

Malaria Malaria remains as the main cause of deaths to people in developing countries particularly those in Asia and Africa. The life cycle of malaria lies in the prevalence of anopheles mosquitoes that propagate malaria parasites. The cycle begins by the parasite biting and injecting malaria parasites into human blood. The parasites have an incubation period of 5-16 days in which they multiply into thousands of merozoites. Malaria parasites occupy and develop in the liver. After three days, merozoites enter into the main bloodstream leading to complications that are exhibited as malaria symptoms.

When a female anopheles mosquito sucks blood from an infected person, it ingests the gametocytes or the malaria parasites. In the body of a mosquito, male and female gametocytes fuse to form diploid zygotes that have the capabilities of been transmitted through the walls of a mosquito midgut in form of oocytes. The oocytes develop in the mosquito’s blood stream into sporozoites. Sporozoites are active forms of malaria parasites and they infect the mosquito’s salivary glands. After 8-15 days, the mosquito has sufficient sporozoites in its blood stream that can be transmitted to people through mosquito bites.

Once the parasites are ingested into human bodies through mosquito bites, the cycle starts all over again. However, it is important to note that mosquitoes primarily depend on other external mediums for survival and successful completion of their life cycle. For example, mosquitoes thrive well in areas that are wet and warm. As they wait for that opportune moment to suck blood from human beings, they inhabit wet areas such as ponds and stagnant rivers.