VELAMMAL BODHI CAMPUS – TRICHY

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ACADEMIC YEAR : 2024-25

PROJECT REPORT ON :
MALARIA CAUSING PARASITE – PLASMODIUM

ROLL NO :
NAME : S.Aasima Rose
CLASS : XII-A
SUBJECT : BIOLOGY
SUBJECT CODE :
PROJECT Mr. Gowtham
:
GUIDE
VELAMMAL BODHI CAMPUS – TRICHY
________________________________________________________________
_
CERTIFICATE
MALARIA CAUSING
PARASITE –
PLASMODIUM
This is to certify that Cadet S.Aasima Rose Roll
no._________ has successfully completed the
project work entitled Malaria causing parasite
– plasmodium the subject Biology (044) laid
down in the regulations of CBSE for the
purpose of Practical Examination in Class XII
to be held in Velammal Bodhi Campus School,
Trichy on ___________.
Acknowledgement
First and foremost , I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to our
Chairman Mr. Muthuramalingam and principal Mrs. Sahana Rajkumar
who gave us this golden opportunity to do an investigatory project.

I ,would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my Headmistress Mrs.

Sudha Navin and our ACO Mr. Davind Williams Gomes who always
supported us in our projects.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Gowtham – biology

teacher for their valuable guidance and support throughout the completion
of this project. Their expertise and encouragement have been instrumental
in shaping my understanding of the subject matter.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the support of my family for their

patience and understanding during this endeavor.

First and foremost my grateful thanks to almighty for his divine blessing
and
grace in making this project successful and I thank my parents forgiving
me
all this life and opportunity. I acknowledge my sincere thanks to The
Chairman and The Correspondent of Velammal Educational Trust for
providing me this opportunity
At last my grateful thanks to almighty for his divine blessing andgrace in
making this project successful
 INDEX
S.No Contents Page.no
1 List of diagram 01
2 Abstract 02
3 Introduction 03
4 History of malaria
 Discovery of the malaria 04
parasite and their vectors
 Discovery of malaria
medicine's 05

5 Life cycle of plasmodium 06-08

6 Symptoms 09-10
7 Malaria prevention 11
8 Scientific approach
 Test 12
 Research 13
9 Benifit of plasmodium 14
10 World Malaria Day 2024 15
11 Anopheles Mosquito - Facts 16-17
12 Reference 18

List of diagrams/Images
 LIST Page no

A Chinese document 04
Quinine and Mefloquine (Malaria 05
medicines)
Cycle in mosquito and in human 06
Breaking the cycle with vaccines 08
Malaria symptoms 10
Strategies for preventing malaria include 11
Test to analysis malaria 12
Research toward disease elimination 13
Microscope Malaria Parasite Malaria 14

Anopheles Mosquito 16

Abstract
Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and is a
major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide.
These parasites have a complex life cycle in their mosquito vector and
vertebrate hosts.
The primary factors contributing to the resurgence of malaria are the
appearance of drug-resistant strains of the parasite, the spread of
insecticide-resistant strains of the mosquito and the lack of licensed
malaria vaccines of proven efficacy.
This mini review includes a summary of the disease, the life cycle of the
parasite, information relating to the genome and proteome of the species
lethal to humans, Plasmodium falciparum, together with other recent
developments in the field.
INTRODUCTION

Malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium spread by

successively infecting two types of hosts: female Anopheles
mosquitoes and humans.

The most common Plasmodium parasites causing

malaria in humans are Plasmodium falciparum, which is
responsible for the majority of malaria deaths globally, and
Plasmodium vivax, which has the added complication of a dormant
liver stage, which can be reactivated in the absence of a mosquito
bite, leading to relapsing malaria.
HISTORY OF MALARI
Discovery of the malaria parasite and their
vectors

 Malaria is an ancient disease and references to what was almost

certainly malaria occur in a Chinese document from about 2700
BC, clay tablets from Mesopotamia from 2000 BC, Egyptian papyri
from 1570 BC and Hindu texts as far back as the sixth century BC.
 Such historical records must be regarded with caution but moving
into later centuries we are beginning to step onto firmer ground.
 The early Greeks, including Homer in about 850 BC, Empedocles
of Agrigentum in about 550 BC and Hippocrates in about 400 BC,
were well aware of the characteristic poor health, malarial fevers
and enlarged spleens seen in people living in marshy places.
Discovery of Malaria medicines
Quinine
Quinine comes from the bark of a tree native to South America.
According to legend it was first brought to Europe by a Countess
who had been treated with it in Peru in the 1600s. The bark was
named cinchona in 1742 by Linnaeus. In 1820, two French
chemists isolated quinine from the cinchona bark and quinine
became a treatment of reference for intermittent fever throughout
the world. Quinine remains an important and effective treatment
for malaria today, despite sporadic observations of quinine
resistance.

Mefloquine
The development of mefloquine was a collaborative achievement
of the US Army Medical Research and Development Command,
WHO/TDR and Hoffman-La Roche, Inc. Mefloquine’s efficacy in
preventing falciparum malaria when taken regularly was shown in
1974 and its potential as a successful treatment agent was shown
soon after. Resistance to mefloquine began to appear in Asia in
1985, around the time the drug became generally available.
 Life cycle of Plasmodium
 The malaria parasite develops both in humans and in the
female Anopheles mosquitoes. The size and genetic complexity of the
parasite mean that each infection presents thousands of antigens (proteins)
to the human immune system.

 The parasite changes through several life stages even while in the human
host, presenting different antigens at different stages of its life cycle. In
addition, the parasite has developed a series of strategies that allow it to
confuse, hide, and misdirect the human immune system.
 i. Malaria infection begins when an infected female Anopheles mosquito
bites a person, injecting Plasmodium parasites, in the form of
sporozoites, into the bloodstream.

ii. The sporozoites pass quickly into the human liver.

iii. The sporozoites multiply asexually in the liver cells over the next 7 to 10
days, causing no symptoms.

iv. In an animal model, the parasites, in the form of merozoites, are released
from the liver cells in vesicles, journey through the heart, and arrive in
the lungs, where they settle within lung capillaries. The vesicles
eventually disintegrate, freeing the merozoites to enter the blood phase
of their development.

v. In the bloodstream, the merozoites invade red blood cells (erythrocytes)

and multiply again until the cells burst. Then they invade more
erythrocytes. This cycle is repeated, causing fever each time parasites
break free and invade blood cells.

vi. Some of the infected blood cells leave the cycle of asexual multiplication.
Instead of replicating, the merozoites in these cells develop into sexual
forms of the parasite, called gametocytes, that circulate in the blood
stream.

vii. When a mosquito bites an infected human, it ingests the gametocytes,

which develop further into mature sex cells called gametes.

viii. The fertilized female gametes develop into actively moving ookinetes that
burrow through the mosquito’s midgut wall and form oocysts on the
exterior surface.
ix. Inside the oocyst, thousands of active sporozoites develop. The oocyst
eventually bursts, releasing sporozoites into the body cavity that travel
to the mosquito’s salivary glands.
x. The cycle of human infection begins again when the mosquito bites
another person.
Symptoms of Malaria

Signs and symptoms of malaria may include:

 Fever
 Chills
 General feeling of discomfort
 Headache
 Nausea and vomiting
 Diarrhea
 Abdominal pain
 Muscle or joint pain
 Fatigue
 Rapid breathing
 Rapid heart rate
 Cough

o Some people who have malaria experience cycles of

malaria "attacks." An attack usually starts with shivering
and chills, followed by a high fever, followed by sweating
and a return to normal temperature
o Malaria signs and symptoms typically begin within a few weeks after
being bitten by an infected mosquito. However, some types of malaria
parasites can lie dormant in your body for up to a year.
MALARIA PREVENTION
Strategies for preventing malaria include:
 Being aware of the risk.
 Preventing mosquito bites, for example, by using insect
repellant and covering the arms and legs.
 Taking antimalarial tablets when traveling to an area where
malaria occurs.
 Getting a prompt diagnosis and treatment if someone thinks
they may have the disease.
 Administering the vaccine to children who live in places
where malaria is endemic.
SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES

Test for malaria

 Malaria tests look for signs of a malaria infection in a sample

of your blood. The tests can diagnose malaria early so the
disease can be cured before it causes serious illness. Malaria
testing is used if you have symptoms of malaria and you have
recently been in parts of the world where malaria is common.

 Malaria is rare in the United States. It's mostly found in

warm, humid parts of the world. The highest number of cases
are in parts of Africa south of the Sahara Desert. In the U.S.
most cases are in people who have traveled in tropical and

subtropical areas where mosquitos spread a lot of disease.

Research on Malaria

WEHI’s malaria research team has several aims.

Discover more about how the malaria parasite lives and grows, and
how it interacts with our body’s immune system, so we can find
new ways to treat it.
Search for new medicines that can better treat malaria, to help save
lives.
Create a blood test that will identify if people have a type of
malaria that can stay hidden in their liver for a long time
(Plasmodium vivax). This type of malaria is the most common
across the world.

Reveal how malaria spreads in the Asia-Pacific region, to assist in

programs that are fighting the disease in some of the world’s
poorest countries.
Fast-track the development of vaccines to prevent people from
getting infected with malaria.

Benefit of Plasmodium

Developing immunity
Repeated Plasmodium infections in childhood can help build immunity
that reduces the risk of malaria disease.
Shared resources
Plasmodium parasites and Anopheles mosquitoes have a long-term
relationship that benefits both organisms. The parasites receive protection
and resources, while the mosquitoes don't lose their reproductive fitness.
Parasite immune suppression
The long-term relationship between Plasmodium and Anopheles
mosquitoes has led to evolutionary processes that suppress the parasite's
immune response
However, exposure to Plasmodium antigens during pregnancy may have
the opposite effect, promoting immune tolerance that can impair the body's

response to the infection after birth.

 World Malaria Day
25 April 2024
In recent years, progress in reducing malaria has ground to a
standstill. Not only does malaria continue to directly endanger
health and cost lives, but it also perpetuates a vicious cycle of
inequity. People living in the most vulnerable situations including
pregnant women, infants, children under 5 years of age, refugees,
migrants, internally displaced people, and Indigenous Peoples
continue to be disproportionately impacted.
The WHO African Region shoulders the heaviest burden of the
disease – accounting, in 2022, for 94% and 95% of malaria case
and deaths. Rural populations in the African region living in
situations of poverty and with less access to education are the
most impacted. In view of the current trajectory, critical 2025
milestones of the WHO global malaria strategy for reductions in
malaria cases and deaths will be missed.
Why are pregnant women, young children and other groups in
vulnerable situations not accessing the malaria services they
need? On World Malaria Day 2024, WHO joins the RBM
Partnership to End Malaria and other partners in highlighting
barriers to health equity, gender equality and human rights in
malaria responses worldwide – as well as concrete measures to
overcome them.
Anopheles Mosquito - Facts
 The body of the adult Anopheles mosquito is dark brown to black in
color and has 3 sections which are the head, thorax and abdomen.
 This mosquito species seems to prefer mammals, including humans,
for its blood meal.
 Anopheles mosquitoes are one of about 41 genera of mosquitoes that
occur worldwide.
 Of the nearly 3,500 mosquito species, about 430 are Anopheles.
 The only country or region that does not have these mosquitoes is
Antarctica.
 From the Greek an (“not”) + ophelos (“benefit”), a genus of
mosquitoes, many species of which are vectors of malaria.
 scientific name: Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say.


 Malaria vector
Anopheles mosquitoes are the primary vector of malaria, a disease
that kills more than 600,000 people each year.
 Heartworm transmitter
Anopheles mosquitoes can also transmit heartworm in dogs.
 Stomach position
When resting, the stomach of an Anopheles mosquito points
upward, unlike most mosquitoes.
 Only females bite
Only female mosquitoes bite because they need the protein-rich
blood for reproduction and egg production.
 Can survive for a month
Female Anopheles mosquitoes can survive for at least a month in
favorable conditions.
 Only certain species can spread malaria
Not all Anopheles mosquitoes can spread malaria, and only females
can transmit it.
 African species are the best
A few African species of female Anopheles mosquitoes are
particularly good at spreading malaria.
 Become infected by biting an infected person
Anopheles mosquitoes become infected with malaria by
biting an infected person and drawing blood that contains
the parasite.
 Don't travel far
Adult mosquitoes don't travel far from where they hatched.
 Malaria can be eradicated
If communities can prevent transmission, malaria can be eradicated
locally in a matter of weeks .
Reference
 https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-malaria-day/2024
 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Major-Indices-of-Malaria-
Transmission-Advantages-and-Disadvantages_tbl1_44589608
 https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/malaria-tests/
 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150670
 https://www.malariavaccine.org/tools-resources/malaria-parasite-
life-cycle
 https://www.guidetomalariapharmacology.org/GRAC/
ParasiteLifecycleStagesForward
 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Chemical-structures-of-
mefloquine-quinine-halofantrine-and-lumefantrine_fig1_23760203
 https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/
10.1186/1756-3305-3-5
 https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/about/life-cycle-of-anopheles-
mosquitoes.html
 https://www.mosquitomagnet.com/articles/where-did-mosquitoes-
come-from