The infective stage of malarial parasite, Plasmodium is:

The correct answer is Option (3) → Sporozoite

Option (1) Female gametocyte — Incorrect. Gametocytes form inside the red blood cells of an infected person. They are the stage that passes from the human to the mosquito when it sucks blood. They do not start an infection in a human.

Option (2) Male gametocyte — Incorrect. Male gametocytes also form in human blood. Male and female gametes fuse in the gut of the mosquito, so this stage continues the life cycle in the mosquito, not in man.

Option (3) Sporozoite — Correct. Sporozoites are formed in the mosquito and collect in its salivary glands. When an infected female Anopheles bites a person, the sporozoites enter the blood. They first multiply in the liver cells and then attack the red blood cells.

Option (4) Trophozoite — Incorrect. A trophozoite is the feeding and growing stage inside the red blood cells. It appears only after the infection has already started, so it is not the stage that infects a person.

Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 24-05-2026 (Slot 2) and on 20-05-2026 (Slot 2).

NCERT Extract:
Common Diseases in Humans – …