Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. It primarily affects the circulatory and lymphatic systems.
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Malaria is caused by four main species of Plasmodium: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae.
The lifecycle of Plasmodium involves both asexual reproduction in humans (intermediate hosts) and sexual reproduction in mosquitoes (definitive hosts).
Antimalarial drugs target different stages of the Plasmodium lifecycle; for instance, chloroquine interferes with parasite digestion of hemoglobin.
Virulence factors of Plasmodium include cytoadherence and antigenic variation which help evade the host immune system.
Epidemiologically, malaria transmission is influenced by factors such as mosquito vector density, climate conditions, and human immunity.