What type of virus is Plasmodium?

What type of virus is Plasmodium?

Eukaryotes of the genus Plasmodium cause malaria, a parasitic disease responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality in humans. Yet, the nature and abundance of any viruses carried by these divergent eukaryotic parasites is unknown.

Which is the plasmodium parasite species?

Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium – single-celled organisms that cannot survive outside of their host(s). Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the majority of malaria deaths globally and is the most prevalent species in sub-Saharan Africa.

Is plasmodium a protozoan?

The causative agent of malaria is a protozoan parasite, species Plasmodium. Four species infect humans: P.

Is Plasmodium a virus or bacteria?

A: Malaria is not caused by a virus or bacteria. Malaria is caused by a parasite known as Plasmodium, which is normally spread through infected mosquitoes. A mosquito takes a blood meal from an infected human, taking in Plasmodia which are in the blood.

When was Plasmodium discovered?

On 20 August 1897, in Secunderabad, Ross made his landmark discovery. While dissecting the stomach tissue of an anopheline mosquito fed four days previously on a malarious patient, he found the malaria parasite and went on to prove the role of Anopheles mosquitoes in the transmission of malaria parasites in humans.

What type of microorganism is Plasmodium?

Plasmodium, a genus of parasitic protozoans of the sporozoan subclass Coccidia that are the causative organisms of malaria. Plasmodium, which infects red blood cells in mammals (including humans), birds, and reptiles, occurs worldwide, especially in tropical and temperate zones.

What supergroup is plasmodium in?

(b) Plasmodium: phylogeny, evolutionary origin and life cycle. Malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) constitute a taxon within the Apicomplexa, a group that, together with Stramenopiles, ciliates and dinoflagellates, constitute the Chromalveolata (figure 1).

What type of pathogen is Plasmodium parasite?

Malaria is a disease caused by a protist called Plasmodium. Malaria kills just under half a million people a year worldwide. Plasmodium is a parasite . It spends part of its life cycle in mosquitoes, and part in humans.

Is Plasmodium parasite a pathogen?

Malaria parasites in humans are all classified in the subgenera Plasmodium and Laverania. Four are well-characterized, strict human pathogens (e.g. P. falciparum, P. vivax, P.

What is the plasmodium life cycle?

Plasmodium Life Cycle. The cycle begins when a female mosquito bites a human in search of a blood meal to produce eggs—in fact only the female has the physiology necessary for sucking blood. The parasite is transferred through the mosquito saliva to the human host as the mosquito is taking her blood meal.

Is Plasmodium a protist?

As a protist, Plasmodium is a eukaryote of the phylum Apicomplexa . Unusual characteristics of this organism in comparison to general eukaryotes include the rhoptry, micronemes, and polar rings near the apical end. Source: Wikimedia.

Where does Plasmodium live?

Plasmodium vivax is found mainly in Asia, Latin America, and in some parts of Africa. P. vivax is believed to have originated in Asia, but latest studies have shown that wild chimpanzees and gorillas throughout central Africa are endemically infected with parasites that are closely related to human P. vivax.

What is Plasmodium spp?

Plasmodium spp. [these species cause malaria in humans] Liver schizonts appear as clusters of small basophilic bodies (merozoite nuclei) located within host hepatocytes, measuring 40-80 µ m in diameter when mature. Intraerythrocytic stages consist of small rounded trophozoites (ring forms) measuring 1-2 µ m in diameter,…