Question

The symptoms of malaria do not appear immediately after the entry of sporozoites into the human body when bitten by female Anopheles mosquito. Explain why it happens.

Answer 1

As hemozoin is not released when sporozoites enter, symptoms do not show up right away. Malarial symptoms do not appear until hemozoin has been released. Malaria completes its life cycle in two distinct hosts, female anopheles and humans. The following phases are involved:

1. Entry and Liver Stage: Sporozoites are injected into a person’s bloodstream by an infected female Anopheles mosquito. These sporozoites enter the liver and infiltrate its cells.
2. Multiplication in the Liver: The sporozoites grow asexually inside the liver cells to produce thousands of merozoites.
3. Release and Invasion of Red Blood Cells: Merozoites are finally released into the bloodstream when the infected liver cells burst. Red blood cells (RBC) are subsequently invaded by these merozoites.
4. Hemozoin Release and Symptoms: A poisonous material known as hemozoin and merozoites are released when the infected RBCs burst. Fever, chills, and sweating are all hallmarks of malaria that are brought on by the release of hemozoin. Thus, the time it takes for the parasite to finish developing in the liver, infiltrate red blood cells, multiply significantly, and release hemozoin accounts for the delay between the entry of sporozoites and the onset of symptoms.
5. Asexual Reproduction in RBCs: Inside the RBCs, the merozoites conduct further asexual reproduction, replicating and forming more merozoites.