Read the following passage carefully and answer the given questions.
Plasmodium, a tiny protozoan is responsible for the disease malaria. Different species of Plasmodium (P. vivax, P. malaria and P. falciparum) are responsible for different types of malaria. Of these, malignant malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is the most serious one and can even be fatal. Innate immunity consist of four types of barriers. These are — (i) Physical barriers- skin on our body is the main barrier which prevents entry of the micro-organisms. (ii) Physiological barriers- Acid in the stomach, saliva in the mouth, tears from eyes-all prevent microbial growth. (iii) Cellular barriers- Certain types of leukocytes (WBC) of our body like polymorpho-nuclear leukocytes (PMNL-neutrophils) and monocytes and natural killer (type of lymphocytes) in the blood as well as macrophages in tissues can phagocytose and destroy microbes. (iv) Cytokine barriers- virus-infected cells secrete proteins called interferons which protect non-infected cells from further viral infection. Allergy is due to the release of chemicals like histamine and serotonin from the mast cells. The use of drugs like anti-histamine, adrenalin and steroids quickly reduce the symptoms of allergy. Drugs like barbiturates, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and other similar drugs, that are normally used as medicines to help patients cope with mental illnesses like depression and insomnia, are often abused.
Malignant malaria caused by ______ is the most serious one and can even be fatal.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Plasmodium falciparum
Option (1) Plasmodium gigantica — Incorrect. There is no such species of Plasmodium.
Option (2) Plasmodium malaria — Incorrect. It is one of the species that cause malaria, named in the passage with P. vivax and P. falciparum. The malaria it causes is not the malignant type.
Option (3) Plasmodium vivax — Incorrect. P. vivax causes a common form of malaria with recurring fever, but not the malignant form that can kill.
Option (4) Plasmodium falciparum — Correct. The passage says that malignant malaria is caused by Plasmodium falciparum and is the most serious one. Plasmodium enters the body as sporozoites through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. It multiplies in the liver cells and then attacks the red blood cells. When these burst, they release a toxin called haemozoin, which causes the chill and high fever that come back every three to four days.
Note: The passage is taken from NCERT. NTA has put lines of the NCERT text together to make it. Most CUET (UG) questions come straight from NCERT, so study the book line by line, including figures and their titles.